What is Placemaking?

To some, the term “placemaking” has been a popular buzzword in urban planning circles for the past couple of decades. But placemaking has actually been around since the 1960s. It just didn’t really catch on until the 1990s, especially in small towns throughout the Midwest.

But what is placemaking?

This is where I typically reference a definition from Wikipedia or Merriam-Webster. But it’s not that simple. A quick Google of the words “placemaking definition” and you’ll notice that there are a number of definitions. They are loosely linked to the same idea, but they have differences that can cause differentiation interpretations.

Arch Daily

According to the architecture website Arch Daily, placemaking is:

“……creating places and focuses on transforming public spaces to strengthen the connections between people and these places.”

Placemaking Chicago

Placemaking Chicago’s definition focuses more on the people who will be using the public spaces:

“Placemaking is a people-centered approach to the planning, design and management of public spaces. Put simply, it involves looking at, listening to, and asking questions of the people who live, work and play in a particular space, to discover needs and aspirations. This information is then used to create a common vision for that place. The vision can evolve quickly into an implementation strategy, beginning with small-scale, do-able improvements that can immediately bring benefits to public spaces and the people who use them.”

Project for Public Spaces (PPS)

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) has yet another description for placemaking in their booklet, “Placemaking: What if We Built Our Cities Around Places”:

“Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public places as the heart of every community. Strengthening the connection between people and the places they share, placemaking refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value. More than just promoting better urban design, placemaking facilitates creative patterns of use, paying particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.”

There’s quite a bit of difference between the definitions of “placemaking” out there. And that’s just three of them! But there are also a number of similarities. Including one key word: “people”.

Refocusing Your Efforts

With the advent of the car, especially after World War II, the development of our communities has evolved around the automobile. The concept of “public realm” has been centered around the pathways to get where we want to go, not so much the place where we want to be.

The concept of placemaking pushes decision-makers to refocus their efforts on the design of the public realm into a place where people want to be. To move away from barren landscapes that lack amenities, to something more inviting. A redesign into something more inviting.

A people-centric design is nothing new. The godmother of community planning, Jane Jacobs, continuously campaigned for the people-centric design of urban areas throughout her storied life.

Eleven Principles of Good Placemaking

Project for Public Spaces, the non-profit think tank on urban design of public places, has come up with Eleven Principles of Good Placemaking. It is a list that will make you immediately think about placemaking in your community and how you can make an impact.

I’m not going to list out those eleven principles here in this post, but I may revisit it down the road with my own thoughts on each one. But I will mention the last one:

11. You Are Never Finished

As I have stated on other subjects on this blog, you are never finished. There’s always something more you can do. Also, the public’s interests change over time as well. Though that principle of good placemaking can be disheartening to some, it should energizing to you. There’s always something new to do to make your public spaces better. There’s always something new to introduce your community to that puts a smile on kids and adults alike.

Samples of Placemaking

Provided below are some samples of placemaking I’ve come across over the past few years.

The Node in Niles – Niles, MI

Band in Downtown Garage – Coon Rapids, Iowa

Game Tables, Gene Leahy Mall – Omaha, NE

Town Square Amphitheater – West Union, Iowa

Fire Pit and Chairs, Gene Leahy Mall – Omaha, NE

Game Kiosk Sign – Iowa City, Iowa

Game Kiosk – Iowa City, Iowa