The latest news in placemaking, urban planning and citizen action.

• Duluth looks to waterfront revitalization to boost local economy [Duluth News Tribune] 
• New public spaces in Asia offer creativity and a variety of activities [The Age] 
• DC's southwest waterfront will be home to a new mixed-use development that will include more than 2 million square feet of public parks and plazas [Washington Business Journal]
  

• The Future of Urban Waterfronts Conference to be held in Toronto [Strategy Institute]
• Attention turns to waterfront revitalization in Poland [Warsaw Business Journal]
• Campuses turn to Placemaking for expanding and improving campuses [Chronicle for Higher Education]
• What would public spaces look like if they were designed with women in mind? [Taipei Times]
  

• Guerilla Gardening takes off in New Orleans [The Times Picayune]
• The Olympic and Paralympic Games in Bejing have increased public space access to those with disabilities [China View]
• Buskers add value to farmers markets in Tacoma [The News Tribune]
• Old trams become new public parks in Portugal [Oeiras and Environs Daily Photo] 
• A Ventura City Manager reflects on the concept of Placemaking [City of Ventura]
• The Billboard industry calls for tree-cutting, while some in Florida provide small resistance [On the Commons]

Park(ing) Day is an international event that reclaims over 200 parking spots in 50 cities around the world and transforms them into engaging public spaces for one day a year.  In NYC, this event creates small, temporary public spaces that provide a breath of relief from the auto-clogged reality of the city. For more info on the event, visit http://parkingdaynyc.org/

The PPS Parking Day Spot this year will be on Broadway and Great Jones St, one block from the PPS offices!  We should be up and running by 10am and plan to stay until around 4pm.  The theme of our spot is Mini Bryant Park; we will be providing reading material, movable seating, games, and lemonade.  Please stop by anytime and bring your friends! 

• A Ventura City Manager reflects on the concept of Placemaking [City of Ventura]
• The Billboard industry calls for tree-cutting, while some in Florida provide small resistance [On the Commons]
  

• Urban agriculture is a growing industry [The Star]
• Ethisphere predicts the most sustainable cities in the year 2020 [Ethisphere]
• Londoners lobby for the use of Segways in public spaces [County Times]
• A new focus on reviving the US's urban waterfronts [Kitsap Sun]
• Park(ing) Day - September 19, 2008 - allows activists the chance to create temporary public spaces in metered parking spots [PARKing Day]
• Abu Dhabi plans for new rail system to meet projected population growth [Khaleej Times]
• Technology could increase efficiency of public and shared transportation [Planetizen]

PPS Founder and President Fred Kent spoke to a group of Upper East Siders Tuesday evening, engaging the uptown community to evaluate their own neighborhood.  After a presentation on bold moves in pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly policies around the world, attendees split up into groups to brainstorm simple ways to improve the streets in their neighborhood.  Ideas including traffic circles, closing main streets to traffic and enhancing the area's waterfront amenities were among those generated.

Streetsblog offers a full report.