The Power of Placemaking
Why the social, political, and emotional dimensions of public spaces matter, and how people themselves play a central role in creating them.
POPS Goes the City: Privately Owned Public Space and Its Discontents
Why is so much of the “public space” in cities actually private, and who benefits from it being that way?
Landscape Architecture: A Reading List
A survey of classic and contemporary works revealing how cities, materials, power, and ecology shape landscapes—and how design can create healthier, more just places.
Designing for Community and Climate in Los Angeles
How can we design public spaces that help people thrive and connect—with each other and with their environment?
Face Value: Can You Spot a Cheater at First Glance?
Looking for love this holiday season? Science suggests first-glance impressions may offer tiny signals about personality, trust, and even cheating tendencies.
In Praise of Loitering
A possible remedy to sexual harassment and assault in public spaces is to encourage more people of all kinds to spend time on the streets.
Playing with Consciousness
Out-of-the-ordinary mental states are the goal of many religious rituals, but they’re also important in “playful” situations like kids’ games and fraternal hazing.
Bread, Circuses, Baths: Bathing in Rome, the Public Way
By the fourth century CE, Rome had some 856 privately owned public baths, the grounds of which served as civic gardens adorned with sculptures.
Greening Philly’s Neglected Lots
Spearheaded by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, an urban beautification program transformed neighborhoods in the city of brotherly love.