Sidewalk Resource Guide: Restoring Social Life in Our Communities
A guide to our best articles about creating better sidewalks to revive social life, build great neighborhoods, grow economic activity, and save the planet.
As a global resource center for placemaking, we share wisdom from communities worldwide, highlighting public spaces that welcome and inspire everyone's social life.
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Get started with our featured posts
The Place Man: Watch the New Documentary on the Placemaking Movement
We have recently created a documentary, The Place Man, about our work in placemaking over the last 50 years, made by the wonderful Guillermo Bernal. It got us thinking about the state of the placemaking movement and what's next.
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.
Creating the Streets and Sidewalks We Love - Shifting Our Focus From Cars to People
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.
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 urban ecosystem.
Social Life - How it Helps Shape the Future of Our Communities
Social life describes an entire ecosystem of human interaction that gives us meaning — and makes the very existence of our economy, community, educational system, arts and culture, science, and innovation possible. Reflections of Jay Walljasper.
The Past, Present, and Future of the Global Placemaking Movement
Imagine if the places where we live were shaped for, and from, our social lives, re-imagined to make it easy for us to gather, shop, have fun, eat together, and be around people different from us. we would collectively have an impact on the health of our planet.
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.
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.
What 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.
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.
Capitalizing 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.
Driving the Local Food Economy with Social Life: Munich's Historic 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.
Montague Street Activation
Montague Street has a tired, old, not cared for feeling. There are multiple empty storefronts, uncared for buildings, limited to no seating, few places to gather, weak entranceways, few outdoor cafes, limited restaurant experience. All this was greatly impacted by the pandemic.
Four Paris Benches, Plus
A well-designed seat placed in the right location sets the stage for lively activity along a sidewalk, in a park, or on a waterfront.
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.
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.
Transformative Agendas (all topics)
Amenities
Highlighting a Community’s Identity by Creating Great Amenities
Architecture of Place
Turning Buildings Inside-Out
Public Markets
Using Markets to Bring Social Life Back Everywhere
Sidewalks
Starting with Sidewalks is the Key to Creating the Streets We Want
Squares
Bring Back the Public Square
Waterfronts
Capitalize on the Appeal of Waterfronts
Cities, Communities, and Places (all topics)
