A Message from Nate Storring & Kelly Verel, Co-Executive Directors:

Last May, the US Surgeon General released a dire report on the epidemic of loneliness in this country, comparing its negative health effects to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. His number one prescription? Strengthen “social infrastructure”—in other words, parks and plazas, markets, main streets, and the programs that support them.

Social isolation is just one of the big societal challenges that public space can play a lead role in addressing. As inequality and discrimination persist in neighborhoods and rural towns across the country, well-run public markets can lower barriers to accessing healthy food, entrepreneurship, and civic life. As downtowns adapt to post-pandemic patterns of work and leisure, the space between buildings is vital to giving people a reason to come back. As affordability continues to worsen, public spaces have become the front lines of addressing issues like homelessness, addiction, and mental health—either with cruelty or compassion. 

Public space has the unique potential to address all of these challenges at once. That is why Project for Public Spaces exists, and why we’ve spent the past year expanding our programs to support the people and organizations that care for public spaces around the world. 

We invite you to explore our full annual report to learn more about our recent partnerships, events, resources, and technical assistance projects. Here are a few highlights of what you will find inside. In 2023, Project for Public Spaces...

• Facilitated 20 public space improvement projects across North America, from a cultural district celebrating blues music in Arkansas to a 180-year-old farmers market in Ontario
• Provided $280,000 in implementation funding, as well as free technical assistance from our team, by partnering with grantmakers on our Community Placemaking Grants initiative
• Convened 373 global market leaders at the 11th International Public Markets Conference, our first fully in-person conference since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic
• Launched the Market Cities Network with 25 diverse Founding Members to continue supporting markets of all kinds throughout the year
• Began providing placemaking technical assistance to 20 under-resourced rural and Tribal communities with Main Street America as part of the US Department of Transportation's Thriving Communities Program
• Trained 372 placemakers and market leaders through four online courses, including new offerings focused on supporting entrepreneurship though markets and addressing homelessness in public space
• Published 12 articles and 52 newsletters, including an article series revisiting one of our most popular resources, "What Makes a Successful Place?"

In all cases, these growing initiatives are not only about transforming public spaces, but also equipping the people who steward them with new skills, tools, and resources to succeed in their work. Ultimately, if we want to overcome loneliness, inequality, and our many other challenges, it will take more than a one-time investment. This moment demands ongoing support for the daily work in public space of management, programming, and tinkering—the work of care—that Project for Public Spaces has provided since its founding in 1975.

Thanks to everyone who has made this year of growth possible. In 2024, there are so many ways to get involved, from joining us in Baltimore, Maryland, this June for our 4th International Placemaking Week to donating what you can to help achieve our shared mission to bringing us to your city or town. With your help, we can create a world of community-powered public spaces.