The first program of its kind in the country, Pratt’s Urban Placemaking and Management program will focus on the creation of public spaces based on community planning. It’s a 40-credit, four-semester Master of Science degree led by former New York City Commissioner of Design and Construction David Burney.
“In the past 10 to 12 years there has been a paradigm shift in thinking about planning and urbanism, from a primary focus on buildings to a focus on the spaces between buildings—public space,” said Burney. “Rather than allowing these spaces to be formed as an afterthought of building design, placemaking sees the creation of successful public spaces as the starting point, which in turn dictates the siting and design of other components of the urban fabric.”
The Pratt Institute Manhattan campus. Image courtesy of The Pratt Institute.
Other faculty members will include Ron Shiffman, founder and former director of the Pratt Center for Community Development; Stuart Pertz, a community-planning advocate; Meg Walker, the vice president and director of design at Project for Public Spaces; Signe Nielsen, a landscape architect and chair of the New York City Public Design Commission; and Jonathan Marvel, an architect and security and public-space expert.
Students will be able to enroll in elective courses in Pratt PSPD programs such as City and Regional Planning, Sustainable Environmental Systems, Historic Preservation and Facilities Management. Electives fall within the following career-corresponding areas: community–based design; parks, open space and green infrastructure; and transportation and main street management.
