International Placemaking Week 2025

In 2016, the Project for Public Spaces (@PPS_Placemaking) started the International Placemaking Week conference. Since then, the conference has been an on-and-off-again event, but when held, it has drawn over 400 attendees. Although there won’t be a conference this year, they are starting to finalize the destinations for next year’s event. They’ve narrowed it down to Detroit, Jacksonville, or Philadelphia.

Even though there won’t be a conference this year, it’s still a good week to work on placemaking in your community. It’s a good time to take a look at your community’s gathering spaces through another lens. What adjustments to these areas can make them more welcoming, more interesting to those who visit?

Read Up on the Subject

Rural Resurrection has provided a few posts over the years on placemaking as it is an important aspect that can affect tourism, resident/business attraction, and overall resident happiness and retention. Some of these posts are:

• What is Placemaking?
• 6 Grants for Placemaking
• The Pop-Up Placemaking Tool Kit
• Regent knows Art is Key in Placemaking

Don’t Forget the Art in Placemaking

Art transforms public spaces into experiences that embed themselves in the minds of those who visit the spaces. It is an integral part of the spaces that are created and helps to bring people together, making them actively interested and involved in the place, rather than just a disinterested passerby.

Did you know that murals on walls actually significantly lower the chances of “tagging”? Yes, art can reduce the impact of graffiti in an area, in addition to helping the overall aesthetic environment. Art can also make places memorable. Where’s the massive arch that serves as the Gateway to the West? How about the Statue of Liberty? How many conference goers have taken a picture of the big blue bear while attending the Colorado Convention Center?

Over the past year, I have had the chance to witness public art in various forms. All of which has helped create a sense of place for the communities where they’re placed. Here are a few examples: