From Project for Public Spaces — Place Governance through Neighborhood Planning Offices

Photo by Eric Sehr.

Imagine if your local city planner worked around the corner from your home in a storefront on your neighborhood’s shopping street. You wave at them through their window on the way to work, you drop by sometimes for a chat, and you may even be on a first name basis. For nearly two decades that’s exactly how it used to work in Toronto, Ontario. Embracing an innovative model of Place Governance, in the 1970s the City decentralized its planning department intoNeighborhood Planning Offices located in the very areas they served. 

When Jane Jacobs moved from New York City to Toronto in 1968, her adopted city was already well on its way toward reasserting itself as a city for people. After experiencing its first tastes of expressway construction and urban renewal and witnessing the destruction these strategies wrought in many cities south of the border, a movement led by young community activists and idealistic politicians was ready to overturn the status quo. In 1970, they worked with local residents and business owners in the Trefann Court neighborhood to put urban renewal plans for the area into their hands. In 1971, they stopped the construction of the Spadina Expresswaythrough the heart of the city. And finally, in the 1972 election, a host of reform candidates, including Mayor David Crombie, swept to power in city council with a new vision for a human-scale city. Read more:  Place Governance through Neighborhood Planning Offices

We need to start talking about this Vancouver. #vanpoli #VanRE #urbanplanning We need #publicspaces & public voices. https://t.co/zvmc8B0GHr

— sine nomine♿️ (@mssinenomine) April 17, 2016

From Project for Public Spaces — Havana: Learning from and Building on a People-Centered City

With improving diplomatic relations between Cuba and the US, the country’s public space, and public life, is poised to evolve in new directions, for better and worse. In 2006, Ethan Kent of Project for Public Spaces had the opportunity to witness the unique urban environment of Havana firsthand - and collected some thoughts on what it has to teach the rest of the world, and what should be preserved, and built upon, in the face of change. More than anything though, the city offers an interesting contrast to many of the misdirected development patterns of American modernization. Photo essay at: HAVANA'S PUBLIC SPACES by Project for Public Spacespr

How much does your commute cost (or save) society?

.@adamlcarey @theage Any funding that build more roads is just a bad bad bad investment pic.twitter.com/5jRz9d1GVI

— Jon Bryant (@JonathanPBryant) May 19, 2015

Here's What Happened When A Neighborhood Decided To Ban Cars For A Month http://t.co/6uQsLaqsVu @ecomobility_ pic.twitter.com/EGWWSBNs4U

— Ethan Kent (@ebkent) May 19, 2015

A Conversation With @Fred_Kent of @PPS_Placemaking

A Conversation With @Fred_Kent of @PPS_Placemaking http://t.co/aJGVEv0Yfw via @JLGoodenough #Placemaking #PublicSpace pic.twitter.com/ka7hM9AdeH

— Future of Places (@FutureofPlaces) April 29, 2015

Why Cities Around The World Are Suddenly Ditching Traffic Lights

Why Cities Around The World Are Suddenly Ditching Traffic Lights @FastCoExist Via @PPS_Placemaking http://t.co/8f39zRaJfI

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) March 19, 2015

Amsterdam children fighting cars in 1972 HT @BicycleDutch @PPS_Placemaking

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

Streets Are Safer for Drivers But Not for Pedestrians @CityLab

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

"A lot of people don’t walk because they are afraid it will kill them before it makes them healthier" @CityLab http://t.co/agAp1qhn3g

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) December 30, 2014

#PublicSpaces in #Bogotá, Colombia"the Athens of South America" @PPS_Placemaking

#PublicSpaces in Bogotá, Colombia, "the Athens of South America" @PPS_Placemaking http://t.co/boGa9aZfQ2

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) November 30, 2014

From Project for Public Spaces — How to Restore Walking as a Way of Life

The bias in our national philosophy towards high speed mobility has long been a topic that PPS has advocated against. In addition to stifling Placemaking, forcing people into cars has contributed to a host of growing national problems. Most compelling of those problems is the incredible pedestrian carnage. Yet until recently public outcry was minimal and government investment in transportation paid only lip service to annual fatalities that amount to the equivalent of one major airplane crash each month. Read more: Project for Public Spaces | How to Restore Walking as a Way of Life

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4500 pedestrians are killed by motor vehicles every year on US streets @PPS_Placemaking

Post by The Sidewalk Ballet.

"The Sidewalk Ballet" in Flinders Lane, Melbourne @PPS_Placemaking

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

Big Ideas: How do you fix a city in the 21st century? @TorontoStar Via @PPS_Placemaking

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

De Blasio Signs Traffic Safety Bills, 25 MPH Will Go Into Effect This Fall @StreetsblogNet Via @PPS_Placemaking

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

Twitter List — Neighbourhood, Placemaking

Tweets from https://twitter.com/1sidewalkballet/lists/neighborhood-placemaking

Market Cities: #Barcelona offers a hopeful glimpse of the future via @PPS_Placemaking

Market Cities: #Barcelona offers a hopeful glimpse of the future http://t.co/nLCwKCTs9h via @PPS_Placemaking pic.twitter.com/rimSfUnwg1

— Barcelona (@barcelona_cat) May 4, 2014

50yrs after Jane Jacobs cities finally making way for people in their streets. @PPS_Placemaking @AtlanticCities

“@1sidewalkballet: 50yrs after Jane Jacobs cities making way for people. @PPS_Placemaking... http://t.co/7HYfhWhF8U” Another for #CUF2014

— Steve Kemp (@SteveKempOP) May 2, 2014

#Placemaking Comes to Vancouver Via @PPS_Placemaking @CityRepair

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

Jane Jabobs in Fortune, 1958 — Downtown is for People

Jane Jacobs laid it all out in 1958! Republished Fortune article Downtown is for People @PPS_Placemaking http://t.co/F3irR2c0Id

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) April 21, 2014

Think Cities are Chaotic? Look Closer...

Post by Project for Public Spaces.

Many great public spaces have ebbs and flows. Like Nathan Philips Square, and it still works brilliantly, for every + special days. @lavrys
— jennifer keesmaat (@jen_keesmaat) March 1, 2014

— jennifer keesmaat (@jen_keesmaat) March 1, 2014