Placemaking
Basics
Opinion: Complete Streets Alone Don’t Make Complete Places
A well-intentioned focus on making streets that are safer to move along and across often misses the mark on creating places where people want to be.
April 2, 2026
There’s Good Science Behind the Human Craving for Livable Streets
It's time to understand the science of pedestrian-friendly cities. Or, why streets should be designed like gardens.
September 23, 2025
New Report Explores The Challenges — and Joys — Of Being Black in Public
Making Black North Americans feel welcome and safe in public isn't just about striking down racist transportation laws — and it may require transportation advocates to think more deeply about joy, a new report argues.
June 25, 2025
How to Build a Better Sustainable Transportation Pilot
Pop-up projects and trial runs can build support for new street safety ideas and new alternatives to driving — or they can turn the public against a project before it even gets off the ground. A new study outlined how to avoid the most common pilot pitfalls.
April 15, 2025
A Sustainable Transportation Advocate’s Defense of Trunk-or-Treat
Urbansists' favorite Halloween tradition is bemoaning the rise of "trunk-or-treat" events. But what if the car-centric holiday tradition could be used to combat car dependency?
October 31, 2024
Talking Headway Podcast: Why Public Space Matters
This week, we’re joined by Setha Low to talk about her book, "Why Public Space Matters." We chat about using ethnography to understand space, emotional connections, and transforming the world through public space.
May 11, 2023
Talking Headways Podcast: Asphalt Art!
How communities can use paint as an effective and relatively low-cost strategy to activate their streets.
August 11, 2022
America’s Best Bus Stops Round 1: Public Art Meets Public Transit
An artful bus stop can transform a wearisome wait into an inspiring visit to a micro-museum — and these stops are true masterpieces.
Today, we're looking at three stops that straddle the line between sculpture and public utility, without sacrificing the basics of good benches, shelters, sidewalks and more.
March 24, 2022
SEE IT: Boston’s Curbside Eateries are Amazing
Outdoor dining is a great thing when done right, as this Streetfilms mini-doc shows.
July 30, 2021
Talking Headways Podcast: Better Data, Better Planning
Talking to a city planner about using data to make planning decisions, the geography of place, and what the future might look like with more information.
June 17, 2021
