Trainings from the Project for Public Spaces

I am a huge fan of the Project for Public Spaces, and highly recommend their trainings. I've done the full "How to Turn a Place Around" workshop, as well as an abbreviated version of that workshop done as a training for Scenic America, in 2004. (That workshop resulted in excellent suggestions for improving the Eastern Market Metro Plaza, which I wrote about in this blog entry, "Eastern Market Metro Plaza.")

Register now for PPS' NYC-based training programs and read more about new training, Placemaking: Making It Happen, a course about how to implement and manage your public space! NEW COURSE Placemaking: Making It Happen June 9-10, 2011 This new two-day training course focused on how to move ideas into reality by using a place-based implementation and management strategy. This training course will describe the roles that different types of public space management organizations play, complemented by lessons learned from experts with hands on experience implementing improvements and managing public spaces. Also included are narrated site visits to a few of the best managed spaces in New York City and numerous opportunities for networking, including an optional welcome reception the evening of June 8. The course will feature presentations by PPS staff, along with Norman Mintz, industrial designer, historic preservationist and designer of public space amenities, Eldon Scott, Director of Urban Space Management and developer of "lighter, quicker, cheaper" projects, and Alan M. Hantman, FAIA,10th Architect of the US Capitol and former Vice President of Architecture, Construction, and Historic Preservation at Rockefeller Center. Streets as Places April 28-29, 2011 Streets as Places will introduce participants to new ways of thinking about streets as public spaces and how Placemaking can be used to build great streets and great communities. It is intended for anyone who is interested in creating a great street, including transportation professionals, civic and elected officials, and citizen activists. Specific topics will include transportation and land use, community engagement, street design flexibility, transit and station planning, and bicycle friendly streets. Participants will visit New York City sites that have been turned into pedestrian quality places, including Times Square, Broadway Plazas, and Greeley Square. How to Turn a Place Around May 5-6, 2011 How to Turn a Place Around introduces new ways of thinking about public spaces and how Placemaking and creating the city of the future can be transformative for neighborhoods, towns, cities, regions and even countries. Drawing upon PPS’ work in cities across the globe, this training course will provide a variety of tools for evaluating public spaces and case study examples of successful solutions that unlocked the economic potential of public spaces. How to Create Successful Markets May 20-21, 2011 How to Create Successful Markets will focus on four crucial elements to successful markets: the right mix of vendors and products; a strong sense of place; solid economic and operational underpinnings; and a firm commitment to the surrounding community. Through presentations, working groups, and on-site tours of New York City’s markets, the workshop will examine the benefits of markets, market planning and management, partnership building and community engagement. All courses will take place at Pratt's Manhattan Campus at 144 West 14th Street (between 6th and 7th Aves) in New York City. For questions, please contact Dana Kitzes at dkitzes@pps.org.