Creating the City of the Future

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Nelson Rice
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1 Placemaking Creating the City of the Future Los Angeles Metro's 2010 Pedestrian Symposium May 12, 2010

2 When you plan for cars and traffic you get cars an traffic.

3 When you plan for people you get more people.

5 35 years of Placemaking 50 U.S. States, 7 Canadian Provinces 41 Countries 2500 Communities 2 Million visitors to our web sites (2009) 35,000 people get our electronic newsletter

6 Regions where Placemaking has Roots Singapore South Korea Japan Hong Kong Australia New Zealand Netherlands Norway UK/ Scotland Italy Canada Czech Republic Montenegro Serbia Kosovo Croatia Hungary Poland Slovakia Romania Bulgaria Georgia Armenia Mexico Colombia Chile St Kitts/Nevis South Africa Tanzania Dubai Abu Dhabi Chicago Houston Los Angeles

7 Singapore - 10 Sites

9 What is Placemaking? Placemaking is a dynamic human function: it is an act of liberation, of staking claim, and of beautification; it is true human empowerment. Placemaking is turning a neighborhood, town or city from a place you can t wait to get through to one you never want to leave.

10 Placemaking is an overarching idea and a hands-on tool for improving a Neighborhood, City or Region. It has the potential to be one of the most transformative ideas of this century Metropolitan Planning Council - Chicago

11 When you focus on a place, you do everything differently.

12 Benefits of Good Places Builds & Supports the Local Economy Small-scale entrepreneurship More quality goods available Higher real estate values Local ownership, local value More desirable jobs Increased currency velocity Greater tax revenue Reduced need for municipal services Creates Improved Accessibility More walkable Safe for pedestrians Compatible with public transit Reduced need for cars & parking More efficient use of time & money Visually attractive destinations Greater connections between uses Nurtures & Defines Community Identity Greater community organization Sense of dedication & volunteerism Perpetuation of integrity & values Mutual coercion, mutually agreed-upon Reduced necessity for municipal control Self-managing Place Promotes Public Health & Comfort Less crime More outdoor physical activity Generally stimulating Sense of belonging Improved environmental quality Feeling of freedom and limitlessness Fosters More Frequent & Meaningful Interaction Improved sociability Cultural exposure & interaction Exchange & preservation of information, wisdom & values Bolstered barter system Reduced race & class barriers Feeling of interconnection Draws a More Diverse Population More women, elderly, and children Greater ethnic & cultural pluralism Support for wider range of activities iti & uses New service, retail and customer niches Variation & character in built environment Instilled confidence to create one s reality

13 Converging Ideas around Place The blunt calculation by public officials that if they can t make their downtowns and neighborhoods h appealing, they can t compete all of these hinge on the deceptively simple challenge of creating places that people intuitively like. -- Governing Magazine

14 Convergence of Movements Community Development & Smart Growth Civil Society/ Democracy Building Public Health and Community Livability Energy & Environmental Consumption PLACES Sustainability PLACES Local Economies Historic Preservation Transportation & Land Use Local Food Systems

15 Shifting Context of Cities Then and Now Where people need to be Where people want to be Streets as Destinations and Community Anchors

16 If we can develop and design streets so that they are wonderful, fulfilling places to be community-building gp places, attractive for all people then we will have successfully designed about one-third of the city directly and will have had an immense impact on the rest. -- ALAN JACOBS

17 Great Streets = Great Cities

18 Istiklal Street Istanbul

19 Buenos Aires - San Telmo

34 Paris A City of Boulevards

35 Paris From Congested to Shared Streets in 5 years Sidewalks widened Buffered bike lanes Dedicated bus lanes

36 Paris Sidewalk Cafe

37 London AFTER Trafalgar Square BEFORE

38 Copenhagen Gammel Strand 1988 Gammel Strand 1996

39 Copenhagen

40 Düsseldorf-Koenigsalle

41 Düsseldorf-Koenigsalle

42 Amsterdam Trams and It s Squares

44 Amsterdam The Dam

45 Amsterdam - Leidesplein

47 Amsterdam - Rembrandtplein

53 William H. (Holly) Whyte The Organization Man,1956 The Exploding Metropolis, 1958 The Last Landscape, 1968 Plan for the City of New York, 1969 The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, 1980 City: Rediscovering the Center, 1988

54 The street is the river of life, the place where we come to together, th the pathway to the center. William H. Whyte

55 Blank walls are an end in themselves. They declare the supremacy of architecture over humanity, of a building over a person. Museum of Modern Art - NYC

56 Benches are artifacts, the purpose of which is to punctuate architectural photographs. They are not so good for sitting.

57 One of the best things about water is the look and feel of it It s not right to put water before people and then keep them away from it.

59 If no one wants to go out to the Park, no one is going to stop them. Yogi Berra

60 It s hard for people to realize that creating a place is more important than design. PPS

61 It has to be a Campaign Develop a vision Attack Complacency Become great communicators i t Og Organize a strong team Search for impediments Produce short term wins Take aeon bigger challenges Connect change to the culture of the community People Who Make Dramatic Change By John Kotter

63 When you come to a fork in the road, take it. Yogi Berra BE BOLD!

What if. We Built Hong Kong s Waterfront Around Places?

What if. We Built Hong Kong s Waterfront Around Places? What if We Built Hong Kong s Waterfront Around Places? 32 years of Placemaking 48 U.S. States, 6 Canadian Provinces 26 Countries 2000 Communities 2 Million visitors to our web sites (2006) 27,000 people