Helping People Improve Their Communities, One Place at a Time
Congratulations to the winners of the Space in Between contest!
Grand Prize Climb, Jump, Leap and Imagine!
People's Choice Winner Altgeld Sawyer Corner Farm
Runner-up Metcalfe Park
Honorable Mention Avers Community Garden
Catalog of all 2012 contest entries (4.6MB PDF)
Thanks to all of the amazing Placemakers who entered the contest and everyone who voted! View the Chicago Tribune article and ABC 7 newsclip on MPC's Space in Between Contest.
Cities around the world are recognizing that safe, well-used public spaces are just as important to healthy communities and regions as quality housing and reliable transportation. To remain a globally competitive city, Chicago must continue to sustain and enhance all of its public areas. Why? Studies over the past several years increasingly demonstrate that vibrant public places pay economic dividends for their communities and, collectively, for their region. Placemaking Chicago supports the creation and care of public spaces across Chicagoland through policy advocacy, close collaboration with public agencies and elected officials, direct outreach to residents and community organizations, and an active social media and online presence.
Watch this short video to learn more about Placemaking.
MPC’s Placemaking work is integrated into our projects throughout the region. Read about our work to
Articles
Avondale mural builds community-
- Over the past two years, a small team of dedicated individuals helped transform a gloomy underpass at Addison and Avondale into a vibrant and dynamic mural by engaging over 200 individuals and businesses. The project first began because local resident, Joanie Friedman, wanted to make the long walk…
- MPC by the Numbers: 2012 Edition
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- What a year 2012 has been! Just as news outlets look back at the year in headlines, here at MPC we think there's value in taking a moment to reflect on the milestones we've reached over the past 12 months. MPC by the Numbers is a numeric snapshot of these accomplishments, drawn primarily from data…
Talking Transit: Union Station at Capacity while Amtrak ridership up in Illinois-
- Published twice a month, MPC’s Talking Transit provides updates about transit-related activities around the world.
Get In the Loop on all the latest local, national, and international transit headlines. >>
Did you Know? In Illinois, inter-city ridership on Amtrak grew by 5.6 percent…
Talking Transit: Transit stations as destinations pay economic dividends-
- Published twice a month, MPC’s Talking Transit provides updates about transit-related activities around the world.
Get In the Loop on all the latest local, national, and international transit headlines. >>
Did you Know? Washington, D.C.’s Union Station is a destination featuring…
Solving the Parking Predicament: Old Pasadena, Cali.-
- See all the articles in the Solving the Parking Predicament series. >>
MPC research assistant Lena Ferguson authored this post.
Old Pasadena, the downtown core of Pasadena, Cali., perhaps is the best example of how managing parking can have a profound, place-changing effect on urban areas.…
More related articles »
A neighborhood guide to placemaking in Chicago
Placemaking research
Recent studies show Placemaking has a host of tangible benefits.
- The Knight Foundation’s Soul of the Community study found that 43,000 people from 26 U.S. communities named social offerings as the number one factor in attachment to a place, with a positive correlation between community attachment and local GDP growth.
- A UK Living Streets study shows the social, environmental, economic, and health benefits of ‘walkability’ interventions like mixed priority routes, the reallocation and ‘pedestrianization’ of space, and public realm improvements.
- From the Ground Up: Growing Toronto’s Cultural Sector, a report from the City of Toronto, brings together research that identifies culture as essential to its economy while offering planning resources for maintaining growth in creative industries.
- The Case for Quality of Space, a talk by the Urbanophile, brings to light the economic benefits of making spaces great through strategies that focus on value per dollar and commitment to quality of place.
- Data revealed in the Creative State Michigan report shows significant economic impact by the creative sector; for every $1 invested by the state, the arts and culture sector contribute $51 back into Michigan’s economy.
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The 2010 Creative Placemaking study highlights data and case studies that indicate how culture-led placemaking efforts can fuel creative economies, support jobs, and attract new residents and businesses.
Collaborators
Partners
Project for Public Spaces, New York, NY
Funders
The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation
Prince Charitable Trusts