The Social Life Project
“Everyone has the right to live in a great place. More importantly, everyone has the right to contribute to making the place where they already live great.” – Fred Kent
“The Social Life Project” is an initiative led by Fred Kent and Kathy Madden, founders of Project for Public Spaces, to explore what makes public spaces thrive.
LOCATION
Brooklyn, NY, USA
PARTNERS
The Placemaking Fund
YEAR
2019
ROLE(S)
Program development
Program management
Master planning
PHOTOS
Fred Kent & Kathy Madden
Placemaking Europe
Drawing from over 40 years of placemaking experience, the project combines storytelling, photography, and on-the-ground collaboration to inspire communities to create places that are vibrant, inclusive, and people-centered. Through an evolving online publication, public exhibits, and international partnerships, the initiative aims to catalyze a deeper understanding of the social life of public spaces.
My role focused on supporting the development of the project in its early stages, working directly with Fred and Kathy to shape content, strategy, and storytelling approaches. Contributions included research, writing, and curatorial support for key initiatives.
HIGHLIGHTED PROJECTS
Great Places in Riyadh
As part of a larger placemaking effort in Central Riyadh, the project explored how public spaces can serve as catalysts for urban and economic revitalization. Traditional planning efforts in the city have often focused on large-scale developments, but this initiative emphasized the importance of “place” as a transformative, people-driven strategy.
Working with the Placemaking Fund and the Center for Local Governance, I participated in a site visit to study key public spaces in the historic center of Riyadh. My contribution centered on understanding how areas such as Al Futah Park and Umm Suleim could become pilot destinations for social life and placemaking. These efforts informed a broader vision for embedding placemaking into the city’s long-term development goals.
Waterfronts Photo Exhibit
Waterfronts are often emblematic of a city’s identity and collective memory. The Social Life of Great Waterfronts was a photo exhibit that showcased iconic waterfronts around the world through images captured by Fred Kent and Kathy Madden over several decades.
I supported the curation and execution of the exhibit, which was presented at La Marina de Valencia during the Placemaking Europe conference and remained on display for two months. The exhibit highlighted the importance of waterfronts as public gathering places and sparked dialogue about the role of placemaking in shaping inclusive urban futures.
