Leading Authority on Placemaking to Speak at Next Dallas Architecture Forum Event

If you’re wondering, “what exactly is placemaking?,” here’s a good working definition from his organization:

As both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city, or region, Placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community. Strengthening the connection between people and the places they share, Placemaking refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value. More than just promoting better urban design, Placemaking facilitates creative patterns of use, paying particular attention to the physical, cultural, and social identities that define a place and support its ongoing evolution.

With community-based participation at its center, an effective Placemaking process capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential, and it results in the creation of quality public spaces that contribute to people’s health, happiness, and well being.

Kent will speak on Wednesday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Magnolia Theatre in the West Village, 3699 McKinney Ave.

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a nonprofit planning, design, and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. Their pioneering placemaking approach helps citizens transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation, and serve common needs. Since 1975, PPS has completed projects in more than 3,000 communities in 43 countries and all 50 U.S. states. More than 900 people worldwide are members of the PPS Placemaking Leadership Council.

“The Project for Public Spaces provides a unique approach to traditional ‘urban planning’ by engaging and assisting the members of a community in creating their own public spaces, rather than working from a ‘top-down’ perspective,” said Nate Eudaly, Executive Director of the Dallas Architecture Forum. “Not only is Fred Kent a leading authority in this approach, he also spearheads a team of professionals who draw upon many disciplines, from environmental design, architecture, urban planning, and geography, to environmental psychology, landscape architecture, arts administration, and information management to help communities create or revitalize public spaces around the world.”

The lecture will begin with a complimentary reception at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $20 per lecture for general admission and $5 for students (with ID). Tickets can be purchased at the door before the lecture. No reservations are needed to attend Forum lectures. Dallas Architecture Forum members receive free admission to all regular Forum lectures as a benefit of membership, and AIA members can earn one hour of CE credit for each lecture.

For more information on the Dallas Architecture Forum, visit www.dallasarchitectureforum.org or call 214-764-2406.