"Placemaking in Legacy Cities: Opportunities and Good Practices"

The concept of "placemaking" is useful when thinking about what it takes to make a neighborhood a livable, healthy community.

This 50-page guidebook includes case studies to explore placemaking in four different settings: downtowns, anchor districts, neighborhoods and corridors/trails. Focusing on "legacy cities," this paper gives ideas on how to act comprehensively to improve a community, with acknowledgement that issues like historic preservation, economic opportunity, public safety and resident involvement are part of the mix.

The introduction sums up the approach:

"People know a great place when they find one. They like the way the place feels. They like the way the place looks. They enjoy moving through the place and sitting in it. They like being in there alone and with others. It’s usually not that difficult to get consensus around which places are great and which are not.

"As the building blocks of cities, places define our experience of cities, as well. Cities that have suffered population and job loss over the last six decades— for whom the term 'Legacy Cities' has recently been coined—struggle to cultivate new or maintain existing high quality public spaces.

"Rediscovering and creating authentic places that evoke an emotional connection to the city must be a part of their revitalization."

"Placemaking in Legacy Cities: Opportunities and Good Practices"