Placemaking Europe

Dear Placemakers, We’re excited to announce the launch of our brand-new community platform today! This is a space we’ve been working towards — designed to help our network of placemakers, like #you, stay connected, inspired, and engaged throughout the year. At Placemaking Europe, we believe in doing #placemaking, not just talking about it. While events like #PlacemakingWeekEurope bring us together to share ideas and take action, we know that real transformation requires consistent effort and sustained momentum. That’s why we’ve created this new digital platform — a collaborative space and home for placemakers across Europe and beyond. 🌍 We’ll be sharing monthly interviews, articles, and podcasts that highlight the incredible efforts and stories you’re contributing to placemaking. It’s a place to showcase the collective impact we’re making together and to keep the momentum of placemaking alive year-round. Whether you’re exploring placemaking in more depth or connecting with us for the first time, this is your space. We want to thank all our contributors who helped make this launch possible — including a case study from Rinske Brand, insightful interviews by Good Place Bench with Ethan Kent, Robin Abad Ocubillo, and Stella Gwee, as well as #UrbanisticaPodcasts with Lucy Renner, Andrew Coward, and Rotem Carmi. And lastly a great interview with Johan Verlinde, Program Manager of the Rotterdam Climate Adaptation Plan. Whether you’re interested in writing an article, collaborating on a podcast, or sharing a fresh idea, we invite you to co-curate with us. Together, we’ll shape the future of placemaking! Explore our new community page here: https://lnkd.in/d9_iduKC Got ideas or content to share? Please fill out this form: https://lnkd.in/d9_iduKC

October 25th we had our first "Placemaking Norway working group" meeting, appropriately taking place at the library at Tøyen - a prime example of a community-oriented Third Space that really contributes to a thriving neighborhood. We are starting to plan activities to soft launch Placemaking Norway to a wider audience in 2025. We are collaborating closely with Placemaking Europe and PlacemakingX, and are also in the process of building a network across the Nordics, to facilitate knowledge exchanges and inspiration. Keep your eyes on this space to hear about future activities! Currently the working group consists of Diana Jiménez Osornio, Kim Weger, Marieliz Morales Vega, Lisbeth Iversen and Helene Gallis

Dear Placemaking Community, We’re happy to share the wonderful progress being made by Placemaking Norway! On October 25th, they held their very first Placemaking Norway Working Group meeting at the Tøyen Library. This milestone highlights the strength of our collaboration with Placemaking Norway and PlacemakingX as we work together to build a Nordic network with the aim to foster knowledge exchange and spark inspiration among placemakers across the region! It’s this kind of commitment and collaboration that fuels the power of the placemaking movement. We’re excited to see what this dedicated team achieves next. Stay tuned for next updates! Also from our side: A big congratulations to the Placemaking Norway working group members: @Diana Jiménez Osornio, Kim Weger, Marieliz Morales Vega, Lisbeth Iversen, and Helene Gallis for leading this effort. 🙌 #Placemaking #PlacemakingNorway #Collaboration 

Hard op zoek naar nieuwe, fijne collega’s! Kom jij samen met ons werken aan betere steden met menselijke maat?

We’re excited to share the outcome of an interview where Victoria Pennacchio, Manager of the New York Downtown Alliance, spoke with our board member Hans Karssenberg on the power of placemaking. Victoria, who also joined us during #PlacemakingWeekEurope in Rotterdam, delves into how placemaking is revitalizing Lower Manhattan, enhancing connectivity, and creating vibrant public spaces. By reimagining public spaces like Bowling Green, Wall Street, and Stone Street, the Downtown Alliance creates spaces where people can gather, connect, and enjoy their city. Through community-driven initiatives such as public art, pedestrian-friendly design, and collaborative events, they’re seeing these areas evolve into hubs of social interaction and local economic support. Victoria highlights how placemaking goes beyond physical improvements: it builds community atmosphere, fosters local pride, and even boosts resilience in urban areas. As she notes, one key to successful placemaking is community involvement, which ensures that these public spaces serve and reflect the people who use them. We feel very honored that Victoria praises Placemaking Europe as a key example in advancing this approach, highlighting the importance of rethinking how we use public space. For more on their conversation, see the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eMRzYJAB

Today, as we reflect again on the incredible momentum of our recent festival, we're excited to share some highlights from Placemaking Week Europe 2024! This year, we hosted inspiring interviews led by Robin Cox on the iconic portable Good Place Bench, and Mustafa Sherif in his temporary and very cool Urbanistica Podcast Studio at Keilepand. The turnout was amazing—participants from all over shared untold stories and unique perspectives on placemaking, reminding us how many passionate placemakers there are yet to meet. We're grateful to Mustafa, Robin, their teams, and all participants for their time, curiosity, and dedication to sharing their stories with such openness! The Good Place Bench celebrated community with the question, "What is your good place?" and captured voices from 25 cities around the globe, including Malmö, Lisbon, Berlin, New York, Chicago, Singapore, Toronto, and beyond. The Urbanistica Podcast, exploring "cities for people," dove into topics like "Spiritual Placemaking," "The City of Happy Proximity," "Musical Expression and Urban Spaces," "Translating Children and Youngsters' Stories in Public Space," and "Cities, Health, and Psychology." You can listen to all 25 Good Place Bench episodes on: YouTube https://lnkd.in/eXvHW7Ux And listen to all 25 recorded interviews from the Urbanistica Podcast on: Apple Podcasts https://lnkd.in/dtxBmM9F   Spotify https://lnkd.in/eefr4ydV

🌍 Call for Applications: Cities in Placemaking 2025-2026 (2nd Edition in Europe) 🌏 Today is a special day as we launch the Cities in Placemaking programme for 2025-2026! This is a unique opportunity for your city to gain valuable insights into Placemaking, its role in urban governance, and its potential for long-term systemic change. Deadline to send the letter of intent: November 15, 2024 Programme Start: February 12-15, 2025 in The Hague, Netherlands. Why should your city take part? The goal of this programme is to create a collaborative effort that draws on diverse perspectives through interactive, participatory, and experiential learning. The focus is practical—using Placemaking as a powerful city-level strategy to address urban challenges and drive meaningful, sustainable change. This programme offers cities a chance to: - Address key urban challenges like public spaces, social cohesion, and urban revitalization. - Develop placemaking initiatives that transform urban spaces and benefit local communities. - Provide a comprehensive introduction to Placemaking and its application in urban governance. Engage city departments in collaborative, practical learning. How to Apply: Send a one-page letter of intent covering: 1. City Challenges: Your city’s main urban issues. 2. Placemaking Ideas: Proposals for placemaking initiatives. 3. Financial Support: Indicate if your city can provide €10,000/year or secure third-party funding. 4. Participating Departments: Departments involved in the programme. Email applications to: ramon@placemaking-europe.eu marta@placemaking-europe.eu Visit our website for details on how to apply: https://lnkd.in/dH36E22G Take this opportunity to learn, collaborate, and implement Placemaking as a strategy for positive and sustainable urban change! We encourage you to apply and look forward to receiving your inspiring letters of intent! Your Placemaking Europe Team

Don't Miss Your Chance to Win a Free Ticket! Just a quick reminder that your chance to win a free ticket to Placemaking Week Europe 2025 is just a survey away! 🎉 If you haven't filled out our evaluation survey yet (https://lnkd.in/daiVWhWh), there's still time! Your feedback is super important to us, and it helps us shape an even more amazing event next year in Reggio Emilia. Don’t miss out on this opportunity—complete the survey and enter the draw today! Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to see you in Italy!

Dear Placemakers, A huge thank you to everyone who made Placemaking Week Europe 2024 a phenomenal success! Your energy and creativity transformed Rotterdam into a hub of inspiration and collaboration. As we gear up for next year’s event in Reggio Emilia, we want to keep the excitement alive! Please take a moment to complete our evaluation survey: https://lnkd.in/daiVWhWh In addition to gathering your feedback, we aim to measure the impact of the event on the local economy in Rotterdam. Your responses will help us understand and communicate the value that Placemaking Week brings to host cities. As a thank you, you’ll be entered into a draw for 5 free tickets to PWE 2025! To keep the spirit of PWE alive, here are the official photos from the event: https://lnkd.in/dXmPt_xr When you share photos from the event, please remember to credit our talented photographers—you can find their names in each assigned folder—they played a vital role in capturing the spirit of our gathering! Thanks again for being part of this amazing journey!

Hello Placemakers! We hope you've had some well-deserved rest! Now it’s time to reflect on the fantastic week we just had. Thank you all for bringing your incredible energy and making this experience one to remember. We look back on four days filled with creative workshops, insightful presentations, honest conversations, and plenty of fun. Help us #capture the impact of #PlacemakingWeekEurope2024 by #sharing your most memorable moments and impactful sessions in the #comments. Together, we’ll create a lasting #testimony of this extraordinary week. A huge thank you to everyone for shaping, attending, and contributing to Placemaking Week Europe 2024. Special recognition goes to the City of Rotterdam, our participants, speakers, venue partners, staff, and the entire Placemaking Europe team for their dedication and commitment. This year, we reached new heights with 715 participants from 80 countries, 250 speakers leading 170 sessions across 23 venues in Gemeente Rotterdam. It was a week of meaningful discussions, hands-on workshops, and collaboration as placemakers from around the world came together to tackle key urban challenges. Many of you even explored the city on 100 bikes—thank you for being active and adventurous! On that note, we’re thrilled to announce that Placemaking Week Europe 2025 will take place in Reggio Emilia, Italy, from September 23-26, 2025! Reggio Emilia has been chosen for its innovative approach to urban challenges like sustainable renewal and community engagement. The city sets a high standard for citizen-centered decision-making. The festival will be held at Parco Innovazione, in the former Officine Meccaniche Reggiane, with additional venues including Laboratorio Aperto, Polveriera, and Centro Internazionale Malaguzzi. Looking forward to another inspiring edition of #PlacemakingWeek in 2025!