Project for Public Spaces
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Founded in 1975, Project for Public Spaces has brought some of the most successful public spaces in the world to life. Public spaces are only able to fulfill their potential when the people who use them everyday take part in the process. That’s why we put constructive community participation at the heart of our work.
We partner with corporate social responsibility initiatives and foundations to support projects of all scales and budgets—from planning or improving parks, plazas, and public markets to transforming entire districts. Through workshops, trainings, and conferences, we educate and equip people with the tools to lead in their own placemaking efforts worldwide.
Our interdisciplinary team has worked on the ground with over 3,500 communities in 52 countries, creating places that serve as the foundation for our society’s health, resilience, and so much more. Together, we can build a world where every public space is community-powered. Learn more at www.pps.org. Source
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| Country | United States of America |
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesDo Farmers Markets Build Community? New Research Says Yes
By Bret R. Shaw & Cheryl Shea (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Laura Witzling (Research Consultant) & Dar Wolnik (Farmers Market Coalition) A recent article by Project for Public Spaces,“The Impacts of Market Cities: How Markets Promote Social Connection & Wellbeing,”told the story of three communities where farmers markets became more than a place to shop, they were hubs for connection.
Report: The 5th International Placemaking Week
This June, Project for Public Spaces and co-host Downtown Detroit Partnershipwelcomed a sold-out crowd of 642 placemakers from 177 cities and 12 countries to Detroit for the 5th International Placemaking Week! Now, we're excited to share the full story of this milestone gathering. See the full Conference Report.
What You’re Saying About "Placemaking"
After we published “Placemaking is Dead, Long Live Placemaking” by Max Musicant and Shina Shayesteh, we partnered with the authors to survey practitioners on how the term “placemaking” affects the work of improving our public spaces. 295 placemakers weighed in, surfacing a few nuances the original article hadn't fully captured.The following is a summary of the survey findings.
Project for Public Spaces Rolls Out New Community Placemaking Grants to Create Places of Belonging in Northwest Arkansas
NEWS RELEASE July 7, 2026 – Northwest Arkansas and New York, NY. The national nonprofit Project for Public Spacesannounced today a renewed effort to transform underused outdoor public spaces in Northwest Arkansas into welcoming community gathering places and third places. The three-year partnership, supported by the Walton Family Foundation, will create more opportunities for residents to connect and build a sense of belonging.
The Impacts of Market Cities: How Markets Promote Social Connection & Wellbeing
This article is the second article in our four-part series, Impacts of Market Cities. Read the first article on “How Market Cities Build Inclusive & Diverse Economies” here. If you close your eyes and conjure up an image of a public market, chances are good it will include bins piled high with colorful farm-fresh produce. Regardless of the type of public market, food often plays an important role in drawing people into these vital third places, but it’s rarely the whole story.
Impacts of Market Cities: How Market Cities Build Inclusive & Diverse Economies
What is a public market worth? Ask a room full of experts this question and the answers could be as diverse as the products displayed in a busy market hall on Saturday morning. Public markets offer a range of interconnected economic, civic, and environmental benefits to consumers, producers, and communities alike.
Sneak Peek: Seven Detroit Experiences at Placemaking Week 2026
Detroit, Michigan, USA, has been many things to many people: an industrial powerhouse, a city of middle-class opportunity, a city in crisis, but more recently, a model of public space-led renewal. If you've been following the placemaking world, you already know that Detroit doesn't just talk about resilience—it lives it. Beacon Park Night Market, Detroit, MI.
Letter from the Co-Executive Directors: A New Strategic Vision to Ensure Great Public Spaces Are Never the Exception
Dear Public Space Champion, When our founders started Project for Public Spaces in 1975, they set out on a three-year mission to prove why public space matters. Five decades later, so much has changed for the better in our public realm. Community engagement and human-centered design are far more common, funding for creative projects in public places has increased, and a community of placemakers has grown across the world. And yet, great public spaces are still the exception, not the rule.
Placemaking Is Dead, Long Live Placemaking!
This article was first published in the Practice of Place Substack. Republished with permission. By Max Musicant and Shina Shayesteh It’s time to let placemaking rise from its own ashes. Source: Wikimedia Commons We find ourselves in a political era where language is being weaponized. Leaders are saying the exact opposite happened from what we are directly experiencing. “Truth” is becoming more and more the opinion you can yell the loudest.
What is a Third Place? Beyond the Buzzword to True Social Connection
Social isolation is on the rise. In fact,it’s an epidemic. In light of this crisis, it is no wonder that people are feeling more compelled to find ways to connect. Unfortunately, at the time we need them most, we are losing our hangout spots, our meet-up points, our usual gathering places. Our communities are starting to feel the absence of places where people can go to meet with friends, have informal exchanges with acquaintances, or just get out of the house.