Ethan Kent

Metropolitan Washington Place Leadership Summit Join us in DC this Friday: www.eventbrite.com/e/metropolit... #PlacemakingDC #PlaceLeadership #PlaceManagement

The Only Good Corner in Midtown: How and Why Bryant Park's NW Corner Stands Out www.sociallifeproject.org/the-only-goo... by Fred Kent & @drtpanova.bsky.social #PlacemakingNYC @placemakingx.bsky.social @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social

Leaders in #PlaceLedDevelopment converged in NYC for a Forum hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, to explore how to advance the emerging field, and attract investment in to #placemaking that supports #development and development that supports placemaking.

"...what anchors a good downtown is a public space that supports informal activity. A lot of money is often spent on programming and putting on events and activities, but the more informal life can be, the more serendipitous, & social, & human scaled, & organic, the better." @ethankent.bsky.social

"We should look holistically at the interconnections between the whole busking ecosystem and public space, and the opportunities that allow for the creation of a busking ecosystem." @ethankent.bsky.social busk.beehiiv.com/p/how-to-bui... #StreetPerformers #Busking

Supporting #busking will draw out the soul of a city, and celebrate the creativity and culture of the local community. My conversation with #BuskingProject:

We also have a playlist of 110 educational videos on Placemaking: youtube.com/playlist?lis...

If you’re interested in adding some podcasts on #placemaking to your queue, we’ve compiled some good ones here, covering a broad range of topics and audiences, with several @placemakingx.bsky.social leaders: open.spotify.com/playlist/3qt...

Discussion of how the placemaking movement is evovling to #PlaceLedDevelopment, and ulitmately towards a Place movement: open.spotify.com/episode/6Cv9... @placemakingx.bsky.social

Plants vs. Place: Leveraging Landscaping for Better Public Spaces From Plantings That Privatize to Landscaping That Supports Public Life www.sociallifeproject.org/plants-vs-pl... By Fred Kent & @drtpanova.bsky.social

Privatization of public spaces through planting and landscape architecture is unfortunately a threat to growing public use & investment. To drive more demand for greening, human use, investment, maintenance & management of the public realm we need to keep optimizing its use for human outcomes.

How Busking Fits Into the Placemaking Movement An interview with @ethankent.bsky.social, Executive Director of PlacemakingX by Busking Project busk.beehiiv.com/p/how-buskin...

"One of the bravest, boldest things that humans do is to perform right at the centre of a community. That vulnerability melts away the barriers that exist in society. The buskers that thrive are the ones that contribute most to shared experience, to happiness and connection."

700 #placemakers gathered from 40 countries for the 1st #PlacemakingWeekEurope in Poland. Thanks #PlacemakingPoland and #PlacemakingEurope for masterfully hosting. @placemaking-canada.bsky.social

Thanks to everyone who took the time to meet up with me during my wander through Poland and the Baltics … Igor and Gillian (Warsaw), Artis (Riga), Andrė and Sabina (Vilnius), Kristi, Andro, Mathias, Pasi, Eugen, Aleksi and others (Tallinn) and TJ, Ethan and others (Wroclaw).

Poland has been a model country for leading it's development through public realm infrastructire investment. It's growing momentum with #PlacemakingPoland builds on this nicely. A great host for #PlacemakingWeekEurope!

With Fred Kent, founder of Project for Public Spaces and a pioneer of the global placemaking movement, who introduced my 2026 Lewis Mumford Lecture in the Great Hall of The City College of New York.

On my way to #PlacemaingWeekEurope for the annual festival of learning, advocacy and action, in Wroclaw, Poland. Reporting from the #GlobalPlacemakingSummit and on #PlaceLedDevelopment with many partners from @placemakingx.bsky.social , @placemaking-canada.bsky.social, & other placemakingx networks.

Celebrating the launch of Place and Placemaking (Routledge, 2026) in NYC at the AIA NY Center for Architecture, Sept. 17th, 6pm-7:30: calendar.aiany.org/2026/09/17/b... @placemakingx.bsky.social @sociallifeproject.bsky.social

Vendedores ambulantes e mercados públicos podem impulsionar cidades prósperas e inclusivas Os espaços públicos precisam de todo o espectro de atividades comerciais, das informais às formais. caosplanejado.com/vendedores-a... @caosplanejado.bsky.social @sociallifeproject.bsky.social

Joy For All - Places Where We Find Happiness Through Connection www.sociallifeproject.org/joy-for-all-... by @drtpanova.bsky.social and Fred Kent

Join us to celebrate the launch of the new book Place and Placemaking (Routledge, 2026) in NYC at the AIA NY Center for Architecture, Sept. 17th, 6-7:30pm: calendar.aiany.org/2026/09/17/b... With @lohplaces.bsky.social #PlacemakingNYC #Placemaking @placemakingx.bsky.social

New #placemaking podcast supporting the #PlacemakingUS conversation and community. Launched discussing our emerging @placemakingx.bsky.social focus on #PlaceLedDevelopment: youtu.be/Y9xgCehE0Rs?... @sociallifeproject.bsky.social

"We were stunned to see the impact that something as simple as a bench could have on the rhythm of life in our neighborhood," www.sociallifeproject.org/reciprocal-g...

The amazing POWER OF 10! It can be simple & powerful tool to create better communities, by Fred Kent, Tayana Panova. Decades ago I learned from Fred that each city should have 10+ major destinations, and each 10+ places, and each 10+ things to do... Read: bit.ly/4xfkDLL

Unpacking this quote by our Fred Kent: www.sociallifeproject.org/streets_as_p... @placemakingx.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social

Remember, if you plan cities for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan cities for people and places, you get people and places. Via Fred Kent & @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social. #UrbanTruth

Unpacking this famous quote by our Fred Kent: www.sociallifeproject.org/streets_as_p... @placemakingx.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social

Before founding Social Life Project & @placemakingx.bsky.social in 2018, Fred Kent founded @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social in 1975, & led it for 43 years, developing & applying placemaking principles & tools. The Power 10 shows us how cities can be transformed through clustering of small activities.

Turning the shaping of communities & cities upside-down to start with the social life of public spaces is what we're all about! Our Fred Kent developed the Power of 10 #Placemaking concept to apply this idea at all scales: www.sociallifeproject.org/the-power-of...

Inspiring to be sharing and learning with an extraordinary community of luminaries. Like @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social @majoracarter.bsky.social @regenhes.bsky.social and many more.

Join us for a discussion on #RegenerativePlacemaking at the #GenerationRegenerationSummit - a free, virtual summit hosted by Tony Cho and Future of Cities: generationregenerationsummit.com/live/ With @ethankent.bsky.social @majoracarter.bsky.social @regenhes.bsky.social and many more!

“Leading with #lovability and #placeattachment actually helps achieve livability more quickly, more affordably, and more inclusively." #Placemaking

"We're creating houses and spaces, rather than homes and places. It's a mechanistic worldview instead of a human one." From my conversation with Shawn Duncan on his podcast Places People Change about #PlaceAttachement: places-people-change.ghost.io/belonging-as... #Placemaking

How Small Buildings Can Seed Vitality in Public Places www.sociallifeproject.org/small-buildi... by Fred Kent and @drtpanova.bsky.social @placemakingx.bsky.social @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social

-Helping to lead a PlacemakingUS network building session on the 26th at 1:30PM with Ryan Smolar, Kady Yellow and Krista Nightengale. @betterblock.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social #PlacemakingUS #PlacemakingMichigan #PlacemakingDetroit

-Launching our global agenda on #PlaceLedDevelopment on Friday the 26th at 10:45AM with @ethankent.bsky.social, Steve Davies, Alana Mercury and @philmyrick.bsky.social.

Some of the #PlacemakingWeek events we’re participating in include: -Launching a book on Place and Placemaking on Tuesday at 5:30 with Wayne State Welcome Center with Conrad Kickert(free registration): www.eventbrite.com/e/book-launc...

Headed to Detroit for #PlacemakingWeek! The city that launched the global #Placemaking movement with its many transformative projects, and by hosting our first international placemaking conference back in 2013. Thanks to @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social for hosting again!

Reciprocal Gestures and Improvisation: How One Small Placemaking Act Can Precipitate Great Places www.sociallifeproject.org/reciprocal-g... by Fred Kent and @drtpanova.bsky.social @placemakingx.bsky.social

As we celebrate the one-year mark since we co-hosted the Global Placemaking Summit, the Placemaking Canada Steering Committee is excited to share our updated mission and values! Please read on...

5. Connected We undertake our work from a place of love and care, which links us, the land and the communities we serve, and which endeavors to create hope, joy and belonging.

Placemaking Canada was formed to connect public space advocates across the country. For 10 years we’ve convened gatherings, championed initiatives and empowered placemakers. As we enter our next decade, public space even more important. We look forward to you being part of our next chapter.