Ethan Kent
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ethankent.bsky.social
Ethan Kent
@ethankent.bsky.social
Supporting public space and placemaking learning, advocacy and action globally.

Executive Director, @placemakingx.bsky.social
https://www.placemakingx.org/people/ethan-kent
Also with @sociallifeproject.bsky.social
Formerly with @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Reposted by Ethan Kent
“The heart of an affordable, vibrant and inclusive city needs to be public spaces that support more informal local economies, informal social life, and informal local culture.” @ethankent.bsky.social
Reflecting on the 50th Year of Building the Placemaking Movement: www.sociallifeproject.org/reflecting-o... By the Social Life Project & @placemakingx.bsky.social teams, w/ reflections from our favorite articles, by Fred Kent, @drtpanova.bsky.social, @ethankent.bsky.social & @kpeinhardt.bsky.social.
January 6, 2026 at 1:58 AM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Reflecting on the 50th Year of Building the Placemaking Movement: www.sociallifeproject.org/reflecting-o... By the Social Life Project & @placemakingx.bsky.social teams, w/ reflections from our favorite articles, by Fred Kent, @drtpanova.bsky.social, @ethankent.bsky.social & @kpeinhardt.bsky.social.
January 4, 2026 at 6:26 PM
January 4, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Tipping Our Hats to #Placemaking: Why Unique Headwear is an Indicator of a Great Public Place

Hats create places that brim with personality!

Our fun post for the holidays: www.sociallifeproject.org/why-unique-h... by Fred Kent and @drtpanova.bsky.social

#PublicSpace #PublicLife #StreetFashion
December 26, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Seeing with Kathy

Fred Kent reflects on his decades looking at, and learning from, #publicspaces with his partner and wife #KathyMadden, co-founder of @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social , Social Life Project and @placemakingx.bsky.social:
www.sociallifeproject.org/what-we-saw-...

#Placemaking
December 22, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Wonderful to participate in the World Planning Congress, and to help connect and support the strong #placemaking representation, especially from the #ArabPlacemaking community. @amaken.bsky.social @placemakingx.bsky.social @nadinebitar.bsky.social

#WPC61 #ISOCARP
December 6, 2025 at 12:59 AM
My critique of #FrankGehry and his Guggenheim Bilbao from my 2003 visit:
www.pps.org/places/gugge...
December 5, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Another energizing highlight from #ICUH25: the Place Game led by Steve Davies @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social & @ethankent.bsky.social @placemakingx.bsky.social — a hands-on dive into #community-centered #design for healthier #cities

Grateful to our many #placemaking partners for being there with us!
December 5, 2025 at 6:09 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
#𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀

The 61𝘴𝘵 𝘐𝘚𝘖𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘗 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 

Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia | 1–4 Dec

@amaken.bsky.social @ethankent.bsky.social

#ISOCARP #WPC61 #ArabPlacemaking
November 29, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
What a powerful session #ICUH25! Plenary 4 on "Place Matters" opened with the inspiring Kaye-Maree Dunn reminding us that our #cities aren't blank canvases & that place is never neutral — stressing the importance of honoring the local narrative to build cities that can heal & restore our #health
November 21, 2025 at 4:10 AM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Wonderful to connect and support placemaking leaders in our home base city of New York!

#PlacemakingNYC #PlacemakingUS
Tour of New York City Hall today after meeting with Chief Public Realm Officer @yatingliu.bsky.social and Helsinki Placemaking officer @arvindrchn.bsky.social.
And then bumped into #placemaking advocate @jacksonchabot.bsky.social of @openplans.org!
November 26, 2025 at 12:12 AM
Tour of New York City Hall today after meeting with Chief Public Realm Officer @yatingliu.bsky.social and Helsinki Placemaking officer @arvindrchn.bsky.social.
And then bumped into #placemaking advocate @jacksonchabot.bsky.social of @openplans.org!
November 25, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Following #ICUH25 our ED joined a fantastic healthy #placemaking event co-hosted by Auckland rban Development Office, The Urban Room Foundation & Catalyse together with Ethan Kent from @placemakingx.bsky.social

Great discussions on #community-centered #design — thanks to all involved!
November 24, 2025 at 9:49 AM
The @is4urbanhealth.bsky.social Conference masterfully brought together #placemaking & #UrbanHealth leaders from around the world, and then connected us with the deep indigenous Māori wisdom of how place and health need to support each other.

#PlacemakingAotearoa #IndigenousPlacemaking #ICUH25
November 23, 2025 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
#PlacemakingAotearoa was one of the first national #placemaking networks, and they continue to lead in exciting new directions today, like #IndigenousPlacemaking and #PlaceLedDevelopment.
November 23, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
#PlacemakingMexico has been leading on many dimensions of the global #placemaking movement.

Come learn from, shape, & support this continued leadership at the upcoming #PlacemakingWeekMexico, January 26-30, 2026: www.placemaking.mx/placemaking-...

#PlacemakingLatinoamerica #EspaciosPublicos
November 16, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Placemaking leaders are pioneers that stick their necks out and are not defined by disciplines, departments or how things have been done before. @placemakingx.bsky.social
November 15, 2025 at 11:47 PM
👏😊 Time for a NYC shaped by all, for all. Affordability starts with public space for all to enjoy. Shared places that people love anchor and support inclusive, diverse economies and drive local investment, further attracting and attaching talent to further build the city. 😍🇺🇸
November 5, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
Today is only the beginning.

Our time has come, New York. Our time is now.
Today is only the beginning.
YouTube video by Zohran Mamdani for NYC
www.youtube.com
November 4, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Despite the divisive media noise at the national level, at the local level is where our needs are most met, where our contributions most matter, and where divides most melt.
November 3, 2025 at 3:36 AM
Reposted by Ethan Kent
“Through Placemaking, we can create natural, easy, organic ways for people to be in each other's presence and remind them that life is defined by genuine moments and real-life interactions and relationships, not by labels, online groups, and angry rhetoric.”
October 31, 2025 at 3:50 PM