Placemaking PPS_Hope Institute

December 7th, 2010, Seoul

PlacemakingCreating the City of the Future

What if We Built our Communities

around Places ?

PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES

When you focus on a place,

you do everything differently.



It’s hard for people to realize that creating a

place is more important than design. ─ PPS

Place-making is an incredibly complex

art. When people talk glibly about

sustainable communities, there are very

few people that can actually make that

happen because it requires a lot of effort,

it requires a lot of learning, it requires a

lot of experience.

Prince Charles


Wonderful, Transformative Times

An opportunity to fix and redefine cities around Local Values and Assets

The competition to build great cities aroundAuthentic Destinations is the “New” Agenda

The new/old Development Strategy is around “Public” Destinations

Great Cities are more and more defined by their Neighborhoods

There is a growing interest in connecting Green with Place…or Placemaking with Sustainability


Convergence


“The blunt calculation by public officials that if

they can’t make their downtowns and

neighborhoods appealing, they can’t

compete… all of these hinge on the

deceptively simple challenge of creating

places… that people intuitively like.”

-- Governing Magazine


“Converging Ideas around Place”


Environmental

Sustainability

Civil Society/

Democracy BuildingPublic Health and

Community Livability

Community

Development &

Smart Growth

Energy &

Consumption

Convergence of Movements

PLACES

Local Food

Systems

Transportation

& Land Use

Local Economies

Historic Preservation

Regions where Placemaking has Roots

Singapore

South Korea

Japan

Hong Kong

Czech Republic

Montenegro

Serbia

Kosovo

Croatia

Hungary

Poland

Slovakia

Romania

Bulgaria

Georgia

Armenia

Australia

New Zealand

Canada

Netherlands

Norway

UK/ Scotland

Italy

Amsterdam

Mexico

Colombia

Argentina

Chile

Brazil

St Kitts/Nevis

South Africa

Tanzania

Dubai

Abu Dhabi

Chicago

Houston

Los Angeles


Metropolitan Planning Council - Chicago

“Placemaking” is an overarching idea

and a hands-on tool for improving a

Neighborhood, City or Region. It has

the potential to be one of the most

transformative ideas of this century


Fosters Meaningful

Interaction

Improves Safety

and Security

Nurtures a Sense of

Community

Draws a Diverse

Population

Builds Local

Economies

Enhances

Accessibility

for All

The Benefits of Place

PLACE


What is Placemaking?

Placemaking is a dynamic human function: it

is an act of liberation, of staking claim, and

of beautification; it is true human

empowerment.

Placemaking is turning a neighborhood,

town or city from a place you can’t wait to

get through to one you never want to leave.


What Makes a Great Place?


sociability uses & activities

access & linkages comfort & image

Welcoming

evening use

volunteerism

street life

transit usage

parking usage patterns

pedestrian activity

Walkable

Convenient

Accessible

Charm Clean

Attractive

Historic

Safe

building conditions

environmental data

sanitation rating

crime stats

Cooperative

Neighborly

property values

land-use patterns

retail sales

business ownership

Special Real

Fun

Active Vital

Connected

Key Attributes

Intangibles

Measurements

PLACE

Downtowns

Civic Centers

Campuses

Transportation

Waterfronts

New Development

Squares

Public Markets

Parks

PPS Project Areas


50 U.S. States, 7 Canadian Provinces

41 Countries

3000 Communities

2 Million visitors to our web sites (2009)

35,000 people get our electronic

newsletter

35 Years of Placemaking

William H. (Holly) Whyte

The Organization Man,1956

The Exploding Metropolis, 1958

The Last Landscape, 1968

Plan for the City of New York, 1969

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, 1980

City: Rediscovering the Center, 1988



Museum of Modern Art - NYC

Blank walls are an end in themselves. They declare the

supremacy of architecture over humanity, of a building

over a person.



Benches are artifacts, the purpose of which is to

punctuate architectural photographs. They are not so

good for sitting.


PROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACESPROJECT FOR PUBLIC SPACES


“What attracts people most it would appear,

is other people.”


One of the best things about water is the look and

feel of it…It’s not right to put water before people and

then keep them away from it.




If you want to seed a place with activity,

put out food.





Creating a Great City – Some

Uncommon Truths

Develop/ lead demand with public destinations

The value created by the public realm

destinations will drive the success of the

project.

Place Capital as a primary focus to best achieve

larger goals

Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper


Current Projects - City Center, Las Vegas



Waterfront Academy – What is Placemaking

Stavanger, Norway

September 16th 2010



Creating a Great SquareAmsterdam Plein 40-45, Holland

September 21st, 2010

Shopping mallMarket areaCity District OfficeSlotermeerlaan

Burg. De Vlugtlaan

1

3

65

78

24

910


Destination Bayfront

Corpus Christi

October 7, 2010

Placemaking ~ Creating the Waterfront City of the Future

Image to be added




SAADIYAT ISLAND, ABU DHABI, UAE

Abu Dhabi




Zone 1: Western Waterfront


Destination 2

Destination 2

Destination 2

Destination 2

Bridge Landing


The Power of Ten

Layering of uses to

create synergy

(Triangulation)

City/Town

Districts/

Destinations

Place

10+ major destinations/

districts

10+ places

10+ things to do



Singapore - 10 Sites



6. Sit and relax

1. Read the paper

8. Take a break

from a bike ride

3. Learn about

upcoming events

2. Window

shopping for books

4. Go inside!

10. Have a

conversation

7. Read someone

else’s book

5. Walk

9. Pet a dog

Power of 10



NYC Destinations 1980



Power of 10 Destinations Today



New York City Transformed:Rockefeller Center Times Square

Bryant Park Union Square


Times Square


Festival with

46th Street

CrossoverTimes Square





Rockefeller Center










Bryant Park







Union Square




Transformative Agendas

Transportation that builds places and helps to

create and connect destinations

An Architecture of Place – disciplines transcend

their roles beyond design and silos

All destinations as multi-use with a broad public

and community purpose

Local and authentic retail, markets, and

community centers


PPS Program Areas and

Transformative Agendas

Program Areas:

• Transportation

• Public Markets

• Civic Centers

• Parks

• Downtowns

• Mixed-Use

Developments

• Campuses

• Squares

• Waterfronts

Transformative Agendas:

Building Community Through

Transportation

Public Markets and Local

Economies

Community Anchors /

Architecture of Place

Creating Public Multi-Use

Destinations


Design

Placemaking PPS_Hope Institute