Project for Public Spaces facts for kids

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a group that helps make public places better. It's a non-profit organization, which means it works for good causes, not for money. Based in New York, PPS focuses on creating and improving spaces like parks, plazas, and streets. Their goal is to make these places great for people and for building strong communities. This work is often called placemaking.

What is Placemaking?

Placemaking is all about making public spaces special. It means turning ordinary places into lively spots where people want to spend time. This could be a town square, a park, or even a busy street corner. PPS helps communities imagine and create these kinds of places.

How PPS Helps Communities

PPS believes that good public spaces start with the people who use them. They don't just design places from an office. Instead, they listen to what local people need and want. This idea comes from the work of William H. Whyte. He studied how people actually use public spaces. His "Street Life Project" and the book The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces showed how important it is to watch and learn from people.

PPS uses this approach. They ask questions and observe how people interact with a space. This helps them understand what makes a place work well. They then use these ideas to help communities plan and design better public areas. PPS was started in 1975 by Fred Kent.

Famous Projects by PPS

PPS has worked on many exciting projects. One big example is helping to change busy intersections in New York City. They helped turn parts of places like Times Square and Astor Place into areas for people to enjoy. These spots used to be just for cars. Now, they are vibrant public spaces. Ethan Kent, who worked with PPS for many years, helped make these projects happen.

See also

• The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces