Project for Public Spaces facts for kids

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit organization based in New York. It works to create and improve public places like parks, plazas, and streets. Their goal is to make these spaces great for people and help build strong communities. This work is often called placemaking.

What is Placemaking?

Placemaking means making public spaces special and useful for the people who use them. PPS believes that good public spaces help people connect and feel like they belong. They learn what a community needs by talking to people, listening to their ideas, and observing how they use spaces.

This approach was inspired by the ideas of William H. Whyte. He studied how people used public spaces in cities. His work, including his book and film The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, showed that understanding people's everyday actions is key to designing better places. Fred Kent founded PPS in 1975, building on these important ideas.

Making City Spaces Better

PPS has worked on many projects to improve public areas. One big project involved redesigning busy intersections in New York City. These areas, like Times Square and Astor Place, were once mainly for cars. PPS helped turn parts of them into public spaces where people could gather and relax. Ethan Kent, who worked with PPS for 22 years, helped start this exciting project.

See also

• The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces