These are the articles, along with some drafts that Social Life Project has written which align most closely with each Summit agenda.
Climate Resilience and Sustainability
How Placemaking and Social Life are Helping Win the Climate War - 11 Ways
When it comes to addressing climate change in a way that actually moves the needle, the creativity and community-orientation that always defined the global Placemaking movement can be the foundation for the future of communities everywhere--and for our planet.
Fred Kent
To Save the Planet, Start With the Social Life of Sidewalks
Rich street life is no frill. It is an expression of the most ancient function of a city—a place for people to come together, all kinds of people, face-to-face. — William “Holly” Whyte
Fred Kent
Our Global Catastrophes will be Solved by Local Communities
The problems we face are global in scale. Yet the most effective solutions can be found on the local level. The frontlines for social change today are in neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities.
Fred Kent
Democracy and Participation
Campus Martius: The Catalyst for the Transformation of Downtown Detroit
“Every day, I can see thousands of people enjoying, using, and interacting in Campus Martius. The transformative success in social and economic development is priceless.” - Bob Gregory
Fred Kent
Economic Development and Innovation
Turn Places “Inside Out” to Revive Social Connection and Local Economies
Thresholds where storefronts and buildings connect with the sidewalk —is the place to reunite communities and jump-start local economies after these long, hard months.
Fred Kent
Building Back Better, Together: 10 Ways to Restoring Social Connections and Local Economies
How do we “tip-toe” our way back to a flourishing social life, capitalizing on local knowledge to make sensible choices about how to reopen our communities by involving local people in the decisions.
Fred Kent
The Home-Based Work Place— Rediscovering an Old Idea
In Italy, the shop downstairs is put to many good uses
Mark Hinshaw
Equity and Inclusion
Public Spaces Where Women Thrive
A photo essay that celebrates the social life of women in public spaces where women can thrive.
Kathy Madden
Public Spaces Where Kids Thrive: The Places That Work for Kids Work for Everybody
Kids bring energy and enthusiasm for life into public places and public spaces where kids thrive are great for people of all ages.
Kathy Madden
Men Hanging Out - Public Spaces Where Men Thrive
Men’s need for social connection is often overlooked, but this cannot be the case in the midst of an epidemic of loneliness. This photo essay looks at where male social life thrives.
Fred Kent
Local Food Economies
Driving the Local Food Economy with Social Life: Munich’s Victuals Market
The Victuals Market (Viktualienmarkt) in Munich, Germany Central “Market Square” is typical of the historic squares around Europe, showcasing the local commerce, culture and diversity in the center of each city.
Kathy Madden
Place Attachment and Lovability
Streets as Places to Come Together: The Next Evolution for the Transportation Revolution
Getting our streets and sidewalks right means shifting our focus to the social life of our communities. Once community-led improvisation is a priority, we can take control of these spaces and make them active, inclusive, and just plain fun.
Ethan Kent
Porches: Where People’s Lives Connect
“Of Porches there are two sorts: the decorative and the useful, the porch that is only a platform and the porch you can lie around on in your pajamas and read the Sunday Paper” – Garrison Keillor
Fred Kent
Chautauqua: An American Utopia - Where Social Life Flourishes
Chautauqua.“There’s no place like it. No resort. No spa. It is at once a summer encampment and a small town, a college campus, an arts colony, a music festival, a religious retreat, and the village square. David McCullough
Fred Kent
Hammondsport, New York - A Small Town That Works
Hammondsport is a town of surprises with streets full of surprises. Improvisation is part of the culture that draws you in in so many ways that you just want to keep exploring.
Fred Kent
Play, Joy, and Happiness
Creating Social Life for All - The Elements of Places Where People Thrive
Great public spaces combat the epidemic of social isolation and loneliness by offering a welcoming place for people of all ages, races, abilities, and backgrounds.
Fred Kent
Play Sculptures
Play-friendly sculptures can be a part of making someone’s visit to a park particularly memorable, whether that’s by bringing a beloved character to life, or offering a landscape for play unlike any other.
Kathy Madden
The Magic of Holiday Markets
Christmas markets around the world highlight dynamic year-round destinations in the center for most cities. They bring joy and celebration to all.
Fred Kent
What If We Planned Streets To Maximize Life?
Tweede Tuindwarsstraat, in the Jordaan District of Amsterdam, is a street that supports social life, drawing people to slow down and connect.
Ethan Kent
Public Health
Addressing the Epidemic of Loneliness: Five Campaigns to Restore Social Life in Our Communities
We are in the middle of an epidemic of loneliness. These 5 campaigns to restore social life in our communities will get us out.
Fred Kent
Regenerative Tourism / Place Tourism
What I’ve Learned Taking Out the Garbage
The architecture of most city halls in many countries, follows one of three models: The Freestanding Icon, The Secure Fortress, or the Generic Office Block. However, city halls in Italy follow a fourth model – The Center of the Community.
Mark Hinshaw
Safety and Security
Coming Out of Minneapolis Tragedy, the Community Creates a Healing Public Space
Community turns site of George Floyd’s killing into a sacred pedestrian space A mural at the site of George Floyd’s killing has become a sacred space For weeks, the intersection at 38th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis
where Floyd died has been closed to traffic so people can mourn,
Jay Walljasper
Killer Intersections vs. Shared Space: From Intersections that Divide to those that Connect
There is no bigger opportunity than creating an intersection that connects rather than divides. Connecting people to businesses and to each other helps everyone – social life, community, the local economy.
Fred Kent
Amenities, Music, Art
A Bench on Every Corner... Is More Than Just A Bench
A bench is not just a bench. What happens around it makes it catalytic. This seemingly simple amenity can grow to become a key for transforming not just a corner but an entire community.
Fred Kent
How Seating Shapes Welcoming Cities
Benches and seating are not objects; they are mirrors to our social behavior. We have seen it time and again, that where there is seating, there is life.
Kathy Madden
Brooklyn Promenade Social Seating and Cafe/Kiosk
The entire promenade is very stark and not very inviting except for the extraordinary view. By initially just adding a few items to experiment with, the community could see what might be possible in the future
Fred Kent
You are where you sit: Zurich shows us how
People thrive in place that reflect their personality and where they can be seen in ways that others understand something about who they are. Different people need different settings. Diversity of seating is a basic need and varies for each place.
Fred Kent
The Little Bollard That Could... Do a Lot
A simple tool that can make any city more walkable and pleasurable
Fred Kent
Creative Placemaking
Paris - Bassin de la Villette: The Best Waterfront Yet?
Bassin de la Villette has become the best, most valuable part of the Paris Plage, connecting very different neighborhoods in Northeast Paris
Fred Kent
What Downtowns Can Learn From New Haven
Crosstown street intersections are a major obstacle to the transformation of Midtown Manhattan. New Haven has done something remarkable that, if replicated, can impact all communities, large and small. Perhaps Manhattan can be the first to follow New Haven’s lead.
Fred Kent
How a Australian Window Washer Changed the World
Cities were “an invention to maximise exchange and minimise travel”...I am fascinated about, “How the design of the public realm impacts the quality of social, cultural and civic life.”
David Engwicht
Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper
Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper: Gabriel’s Wharf, London
Built in 1988, It took 3 months to develop, cost 78,000 pounds and created 60 jobs. It is still thriving today.
Fred Kent
Pop-up Restaurants on the Waterfront: Six Cities that Do it Well
Eating along the water is almost universally appealing. We are drawn to the waterfronts that have them
Fred Kent
Place Governance
11 Transformative Agendas to Restore Social Life in Your Community
These transformative agendas can be a foundation for the future and a roadmap for communities to improve the “places” and after COVID, Build Back Better that can help us with ideas to shape our communities for the future.
Fred Kent
Our Global Catastrophes will be Solved by Local Communities
The problems we face are global in scale. Yet the most effective solutions can be found on the local level. The frontlines for social change today are in neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities.
Fred KentPlace-led Development
Porch Life: Building Social Neighborhoods
As “in-between” spaces, porches create a soft edge that mediates between individual and community, public and private, and in these times, offer a safe way to maintain our social, mental and physical health.
Tina Govan
Porches: Where People’s Lives Connect
“Of Porches there are two sorts: the decorative and the useful, the porch that is only a platform and the porch you can lie around on in your pajamas and read the Sunday Paper” – Garrison Keillor
Fred KentPlacemaking Tools and Processes
How To Turn A Place Around: A New Edition of the Book that Started the Placemaking Movement
What was so revolutionary about the first edition of How To Turn A Place Around, published nearly 20 years ago, was its proposal of a very different process from the one that was being used by most urban designers and transportation planners.
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Let’s Turn Buildings Inside-Out
Bringing the inside out onto the sidewalk blurs the lines between public and private space, creating one dynamic, thriving ecosystem.
Fred Kent
The Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper Transformation of Public Spaces
Many of the most effective and immediate solutions are lighter, quicker, and cheaper than traditional top-down approaches to improving cities.
The Place Game (download here)
Architecture of Place
A “Porch” on Every Building: How Bringing the Inside Out Creates Vibrant Communities
The way to make a building come alive is to activate its ground floor - the place where it makes contact with community life.
Fred Kent
Turn Places “Inside Out” to Revive Social Connection and Local Economies
Thresholds where storefronts and buildings connect with the sidewalk —is the place to reunite communities and jump-start local economies after these long, hard months.
Fred KentLet’s Turn Buildings Inside-Out
Bringing the inside out onto the sidewalk blurs the lines between public and private space, creating one dynamic, thriving ecosystem.
Fred KentMobility Stops and Stations
Streets as Places to Come Together: The Next Evolution for the Transportation Revolution
Getting our streets and sidewalks right means shifting our focus to the social life of our communities. Once community-led improvisation is a priority, we can take control of these spaces and make them active, inclusive, and just plain fun.
Ethan KentPublic Buildings as Public Spaces
Focal Points are Essential for Public Spaces
What a focal point is varies greatly with each square. Sometimes it is as simple as a good spot to sit, a fountain, or a statue on which kids can play and climb. The ones we are interested in are the ones that are swarming with people.
Fred Kent
Let’s Turn Buildings Inside-Out
Bringing the inside out onto the sidewalk blurs the lines between public and private space, creating one dynamic, thriving ecosystem.
Fred KentPublic Markets
Social Encounters of 4 Kinds: A Field Guide to Markets
A big reason we enjoy markets are the plentiful opportunities for conversation
Steve Davies
Driving the Local Food Economy with Social Life: Munich’s Victuals Market
The Victuals Market (Viktualienmarkt) in Munich, Germany Central “Market Square” is typical of the historic squares around Europe, showcasing the local commerce, culture and diversity in the center of each city.
Kathy MaddenLondon’s Borough Market: A Public Market Driven by and for Social Life
The Borough Market is woven into the neighborhood. Coming at it from multiple directions one finds themselves suddenly in the market. The intensity increases as you get into the many the hearts of the market.
Fred Kent
This Could Be the Main Street of the Future — Ithaca Farmers Market
Main streets are so important because they are the backbone of a community, but they don’t have to have just one look and form. This market in Ithaca is as good a main street as any other.
Fred Kent
Bringing Back the Heart of Communities - Squares and Markets
Markets and squares are the heart of communities where people gather, celebrate, play, and enjoy life on a daily basis.
Kathy Madden
Rural Placemaking and Main Streets
Hammondsport, New York - A Small Town That Works
Hammondsport is a town of surprises with streets full of surprises. Improvisation is part of the culture that draws you in in so many ways that you just want to keep exploring.
Fred KentWhat Happened to Small-Town Life and How to Recapture It
we found and learned from some truly wonderful examples of small-town social life, and it is these glimmers of hope that can lay the foundation for new attention to public spaces in smaller communities.
Fred Kent
This Could Be the Main Street of the Future — Ithaca Farmers Market
Main streets are so important because they are the backbone of a community, but they don’t have to have just one look and form. This market in Ithaca is as good a main street as any other.
Fred KentStreets as Places
Creating the Streets and Sidewalks We Love
Paradigm-shattering change will happen when streets, sidewalks and intersections are transformed into community gathering spots through the simple act of giving human beings priority over motor vehicles.
Fred Kent
Streets as Places to Come Together: The Next Evolution for the Transportation Revolution
Getting our streets and sidewalks right means shifting our focus to the social life of our communities. Once community-led improvisation is a priority, we can take control of these spaces and make them active, inclusive, and just plain fun.
Ethan KentWhat If We Planned Streets To Maximize Life?
Tweede Tuindwarsstraat, in the Jordaan District of Amsterdam, is a street that supports social life, drawing people to slow down and connect.
Ethan KentCreating the Streets We Want
Rich street life is no frill. It is an expression of the most ancient function of a city—a place for people to come together, all kinds of people, face-to-face. — William “Holly” Whyte
Fred Kent
Sidewalks
Creating the Streets and Sidewalks We Love
Paradigm-shattering change will happen when streets, sidewalks and intersections are transformed into community gathering spots through the simple act of giving human beings priority over motor vehicles.
Fred KentThe Best Sidewalks in North America
Sidewalks are the foundation to making the social life of communities thrive. The best sidewalks share certain traits that make them welcoming, accessible, and socially active places.
Kathy Madden
To Save the Planet, Start With the Social Life of Sidewalks
Rich street life is no frill. It is an expression of the most ancient function of a city—a place for people to come together, all kinds of people, face-to-face. — William “Holly” Whyte
Fred KentSquares/Urban Parks as Community Places
The Magic of Luxembourg Gardens
The magical appeal of Luxembourg Gardens is simply that people feel welcome to eat, relax or stroll. But it’s under-pining is that, it’s all about just a nice place to sit
Kathy Madden
Catalytic Places: Public Squares, Part I
What great squares have to offer their communities is limitless. Above all, it’s the social life that works in these squares: What are perhaps the most magical parts about these places are the simple, crucial chance encounters that allow us to have with others.
Fred Kent
Time-Honored Places: The Public Square, Part II
Public Spaces as squares are plazas in Spain, Latin America, and sometimes the U.S., piazzas in Italy, platz in German-speaking countries, and simply “square” everywhere in between. In many small towns they have the Village Green. In essence they are the main gathering places for people.
Fred Kent
Kungsträdgården: Stockholm’s Square for All
Stockholm’s Kungsträdgården has everything one could want in a great square. It is one of the most diverse and important squares in Europe
Fred Kent
Balboa Park: San Diego’s Global Destination
Ever changing. Always amazing. Where culture, science, and nature collide, It is home to more than 16 museums, performing arts venues, gardens and other attractions, including the San Diego Zoo on 1,200 acres.
Kathy Madden
Waterfronts
Paris - Bassin de la Villette: The Best Waterfront Yet?
Bassin de la Villette has become the best, most valuable part of the Paris Plage, connecting very different neighborhoods in Northeast Paris
Fred KentCapitalizing on the Appeal of Waterfronts: 11 of the Best
Of all the types of public spaces that exist, waterfronts are among the most strongly linked to the identity and history of a city. There could be no Stockholm without the harbor; no San Francisco away from the Bay; no Rio without its beaches.
Fred Kent
Paris, the World’s Best Waterfront
Paris Plage challenges the idea of iconic design as a way for cities to show off. Instead centering the creation of iconic places, Paris Plage sets a high standard for other cities to emulate.
Fred Kent
A Great European Waterfront Few People Know About
Otranto— a town of 6000 on the Adriatic Sea—features harborside streets alive with walkers
Kathy Madden
Winter Places
The Magic of Holiday Markets
Christmas markets around the world highlight dynamic year-round destinations in the center for most cities. They bring joy and celebration to all.
Fred KentPlacemaking for Children
Public Spaces Where Kids Thrive: The Places That Work for Kids Work for Everybody
Kids bring energy and enthusiasm for life into public places and public spaces where kids thrive are great for people of all ages.
Kathy MaddenPlay Sculptures
Play-friendly sculptures can be a part of making someone’s visit to a park particularly memorable, whether that’s by bringing a beloved character to life, or offering a landscape for play unlike any other.
Kathy MaddenPlacemaking for Women
Public Spaces Where Women Thrive
A photo essay that celebrates the social life of women in public spaces where women can thrive.
Kathy MaddenPlacemaking for Youth
Public Spaces Where Kids Thrive: The Places That Work for Kids Work for Everybody
Kids bring energy and enthusiasm for life into public places and public spaces where kids thrive are great for people of all ages.
Kathy MaddenPlacemaking with Historic Exposition
Balboa Park: San Diego’s Global Destination
Ever changing. Always amazing. Where culture, science, and nature collide, It is home to more than 16 museums, performing arts venues, gardens and other attractions, including the San Diego Zoo on 1,200 acres.
Kathy Madden