What We're About

PlacemakingUS is a national network organized to unleash community power to build living, interconnected places together. Through our “United Streets of America” program, we prioritize working with frontline communities that have been uprooted and looted by destructive urban planning, auto-oriented development, racist policies and unequal investment. Our network is fighting back by equipping communities across the country with a range of tools, experiences, funding and new relationships to regenerate their neighborhoods into complex, resilient systems transformed to face 21st century issues like climate change, isolation/polarization, economic inequity and public health.

We are organized as a 501c(3) non-profit project of Social Environmental Entrepreneurs. Please donate and support our work!
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Our Story

Placemaking is a humanistic, multi-disciplined approach to urbanism promoted by the United Nations New Urban Agenda and deeply rooted in the studies and approaches of American thinkers and do-ers like Margaret Mead, Jane Jacobs, William White, Christopher Alexander (yeah, we're claimin' him), the Project for Public Spaces and many more since.

At the Project for Public Space's 2019 US Placemaking Week, Ethan Kent of PlacemakingX tasked Ryan Smolar  with initiating a new placemaking network to cover the United States.

​​"I am so inspired by our counterparts in Europe," said network initiator, Ryan Smolar. 

​"Placemaking Europe, Asia, Latin America, Australia and other established placemaking networks have shown us the way, bringing many countries together for collaborative work and comradery."

In 2022 ater substantial growth in activities, members and partners, we have organized as a 501c(3) non-profit project of Social Environemntal Entrepreneurs. Become a Donor.

​Interests piqued? Please reach out to Ryan as he will be working to bring representatives from all of the networks -- from Europe, Latin America, Asia and others.

Find Out What We Learned in 2022
And Start Planning for 2023

​ 2020 Highlights Report

Since Covid-19 struck in 2020, we quickly dashed our in-person plans for Placemaking Festivals in Portland, Long Beach and Philadelphia, and pivoted towards online interactions including webinars, international placemaking "tool tests," Zoom workgroups, in-person check-ins when safe, and we even commissioned a series of volunteer cross-country projects.

​Facing an incredibly unique set of circumstances in our first full-year, we are excited to share the work that was done towards our goal of fostering a network to bring US-based placemakers together to spread innovations and support and share in the good work from across the country and around the globe.

READ OUR 2020 highlights report

MEET THE  TEAM

PlacemakingUS Leadership

We are collectively building PlaceamkingUS by connecting and sharing our talents, stories and resources. 

​Join us in collectively shaping and building PlacemakingUS:

GLOBAL COORDINATING PARTNER
PlacemakingX

REGIONAL COORDINATING PARTNERS
Placemaking Europe 
Fundación Placemaking México
Japan Tactical Urbanism & Placemaking Network
Placemaking LatinoAmerica
Placemaking Asia
Michigan Municipal League
Singapore Placemaking Network

US NETWORK PARTNERS
Placemaking Vermont Network
Washington DC Area Place Leadership Council
Placemaking Raleigh
City Repair, Portland
​PlacemakingSF
PlacemakingFL
Long Beach Fresh, Southern California

DOMESTIC PRACTITIONERS/LEADERS HELPING US
Ryan Smolar, Downtown Santa Ana BID and Long Beach Fresh food policy council, Southern California & Portland, OR
Ethan Kent, Co-director of PlacemakingX, our global coordinating partner, New York
Josh Kent, Co-director of PlacemakingX, our global coordinating partner, New York
Madeleine Spencer, depth psychologist and public arts, culture, education & inclusive economics leader, Santa Ana, California
Kady Yellow, Downtown Vision, Jacksonville, Florida
Sherryl Muriente, West Palm Beach DDA, West Palm Beach, Florida
Amy Stelly, Claiborne Alliance, Treme, New Orleans, Louisiana
Nate Hommel, University City District, Philadelphia
Krista Nightengale, Better Block Foundation, Dallas
Tina Govan, Placemaking Studio, Raleigh
​Carmen Mays, Elevators on 4th, Birmingham
Leslie Mattie Rich, Ioby, Cincinnati
Jim Walker and Elizabeth Nash, Big Car social practice arts collective & neighborhood, Indianapolis
Mark Lakeman, City Repair, Portland
Rebecca Sanborn Stone, Community Workshops LLC, Vermont
Greg Raisman, Portland Bureau of Transportation
Alexandra Gonzalez, Hive Public Space architect and urban designer
Alan Pullman, Studio 111, architect and placemaker
Jackson Chabot, The Open Planning Project
Jonathan Berk, Patronicity

SENIOR ADVISORS
Michael Mehaffey
Mike Lydon
Julian Agyeman
Dan Gilmartin
Mike McGinn
Rico Quirindongo
Rich Bradley
Uwe Brandes
Robert Greggory

JOIN THE TEAM

Become a PlacemakingUS Leader

PlacemakingUS is a voluntary PlacemakingX regional network inspired by our sister networks in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

If you would like to join us in helping jumpstart our nation's network, your participation could take a few different forms including:

1. Helping administer the main group's activities, communications, funding and strategy.
2. Organizing your local state, city or sub-regional network for the national network to coordinate with (there are already local networks in San Francisco, Michigan, Vermont and a budding one in the Southeastern US!)
3. Partner with us to produce an online webinar or content. See our Webinar Partnership Guide.
4. Organizing a national topic workgroup around issues like Climate Change, Tool Testing, Publications/Reports or Inclusivity. See a full list of Europe's established workgroups here. 
5. Organizing a Placemaker Week or Placemaker Weekend, trainings or topic events in your area in coordination with PlacemakingUS, our international sister networks, and our global partner, PlacemakingX.

Contact Network Leader Ryan Smolar to get started!