PLACE Initiative

As we celebrate the holiday season and reflect on the year behind us, we’re filled with gratitude for everyone working to strengthen the communities and places they love.

✨ You can make a year-end gift to support PLACE Initiative via the "Donate" button on our website or via this URL: https://donate.stripe.com/dR6bLO6Cu8W27du3cc ✨

Your year-end gift—no matter the size—directly supports work that strengthens the places we call home.

#2025

The next stop on our recent Eastern Kentucky workshop tour was Grayson, KY, where community members came together for a PLACE Community Action workshop to explore opportunities for trails, connections, and placemaking. Through a hands-on map exercise, participants identified potential trail routes, community hubs, and spaces for public art such as sculpture and murals. These conversations are helping shape a vision for a more connected, resilient, and vibrant Grayson that celebrates local creativity and culture.

PLACE workshops are about more than maps and strategies; they’re also about celebrating the culture and creativity already alive in the community. During the Grayson workshop, a local artist stopped by to share his paintings and leatherwork with the Grayson Gallery directors. Encounters like this highlight how local creativity can be woven into future plans for art walks, trails, and community gathering spaces, ensuring Grayson’s vision for resilience is rooted in its people and traditions. 🖼️🤝

In mid-August, Floyd County residents gathered for a PLACE Community Action workshop to chart a path toward greater disaster resilience and stronger local economies. Using maps, participants identified strategies for flood and fire preparedness, pinpointed opportunities for higher-ground community development, and explored how trail networks can both connect neighbors and boost recreation and tourism. Every idea brought us closer to a shared vision for a stronger, more connected Floyd County and we can’t wait to see where the trail leads! 🚲✨🏡

Women+ Who Shape Cities
A meetup for urbanist women in Portland 🩷

Join PLACE Initiative and for an informal gathering to connect with others working to build better cities — through transit, cycling, safe streets, housing, and more!

📅 Thursday, August 7
🕔 5–7pm
📍 Lucky Labrador - NW Quimby (outdoor patio tables)

We welcome all women, including cis and trans women. Whether you’re new to urbanism or have been in the space for years, you’re invited and encouraged to join.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase from Lucky Lab.

🚨 CNU History in the Making 🚨
Get ready to laugh, vibe, and celebrate community like never before...
ZONED OUT is the first-ever comedy + DJ socialat — and it’s more than a party... it’s a fundraiser for urbanism with purpose.
🎤 3 stand-up comedians bringing the heat
🎧 1 live DJ spinning all night
🍹 Drink specials on deck
🌍 All to support placemaking + climate resilience
Brought to you by:
🧠 Emerging New Urbanists
🌆 P.L.A.C.E. Initiative
🏛️ Congressional Black Caucus for New Urbanism (CBCNU)
This night is for the planners, designers, developers, and dreamers who believe cities can be equitable, walkable, and just plain fun.
🎟️ Presale tickets just $25 until May 31
🎟️ General admission $35 starting June 1
Tag your crew. Spread the word. Support the mission.
Let’s get ZONED OUT 😎

PLACE Fact Friday! 🚶‍♂️🏡 The Right Housing in the Right Places

We’re facing a housing shortage, and zoning laws are making it worse. Many cities only allow either single-family homes or dense apartments—nothing in between. This drives up housing costs, fuels sprawl, and limits options for middle- and lower-income families.

We need walkable, mixed-income communities with a variety of housing types near high-quality transit. By designing cities for people, not just cars, we can create affordable, sustainable neighborhoods for all. 🌍🏙️

📸: DPZ CoDesign
📍: New Town St. Charles, MO

PLACE Fact Friday! 🌍🏡 Climate Change & Housing

The housing & climate crises are linked—both stem from decades of policy failures. Any real housing solution must also tackle environmental, racial, and economic justice. We need affordable, climate-resilient homes built in connected communities where transportation, utilities, and disaster risks are factored into costs. It’s time to stop thinking about housing in isolation and start integrating sustainability into every aspect of development!

📸: Torti Gallas + Partners
📍: Westlawn Gardens - Milwaukee, WI

🌱🏙️

Are you looking to break into the small-scale development field, but don’t know where to begin? Or perhaps a municipal staff person wanting to get a better understanding of the development process from the other side of the counter? Join one of the Small Scale Developer Incubator workshops happening next week in Oakland and Sacramento!

These full-day workshops, facilitated by , will provide a baseline training for people at all levels, covering topics like market research and site selection, zoning, pro-formas, project financing, and more.

These workshops are part of the Alameda County and Sacramento Small Developer Incubators, and are designed to equip local changemakers with the tools, connections, and knowledge needed to navigate real estate development at a neighborhood scale.

Join us on March 7th in Fremont and March 8th in Sacramento from 9 am-5pm. Links to register are in our bio 🔗

Register now to take advantage of early bird pricing ($150)! Ends today, February 27th.

Innovation is key to creating low-carbon cities! 💡

Federal research can bring new technologies—like solar, energy-efficient buildings, and electric vehicles—that help us build greener, smarter cities. Let’s fund innovation for a sustainable future!

📍: Culdesac Tempe, Tempe, AZ

PLACE Fact Friday: Policy shapes our cities! 🏙️

From zoning laws to public land use, the rules we set today, along with tactical urbanism efforts, shape the sustainable, walkable communities of tomorrow. Let’s push for policies that support green infrastructure and reduce emissions.

📸: Megan Sebeck
📍: Bentonville, AR

$3.5 trillion is spent on real estate every year. 🏡

What if we invested in sustainable, low-carbon communities? By prioritizing green infrastructure and energy-efficient buildings, we can create cities that are both sustainable and resilient to climate change. Let’s put our investments where they count!

Big thanks to everyone who joined us for PLACE Initiative’s hybrid meetup last night! 🎉 We had a fantastic time discussing sustainable transportation, fueled by great snacks, drinks, and engaging conversations.

Special appreciation to our speakers - for sharing their work from 2024, and Wes Marshall & Todd Litman for their insightful presentations. Your expertise and perspectives sparked some meaningful dialogue about the future of transportation. Let’s keep the momentum going! 🚲🚶‍♂️🚎

What’s one takeaway that stood out to you? Drop it in the comments! ⬇️