Public Space and Civic Life: Threats and Opportunities Q&A with Dr. Setha Low and Meg Walker

This Q&A session follows Dr. Low's presentation, "Place Equity." Pratt Institute has a long tradition of establishing community engagement and equity as core values in planning and architecture, and its inclusion of Setha Low in session two of "Making Sense of Place: Place Theory and Placemaking in Practice", reaffirms this position. As a widely published author and Director of the Public Space Research Group at The Graduate Center, City University of New York, Dr. Low is one of the nation's leading researchers on urban anthropology. During her talk, Dr. Low will explores ways placemaking can support under-served communities and how a place-based approach provides a catalyst for holistic solutions to inequity, a topic well suited for this dynamic practitioner and researcher. Dr. Low's author credits include titles such as Politics of Public Space, Rethinking Urban Parks: Public Space and Cultural Diversity, and her 2004 publication, Behind the Gates: Life, Security and the Pursuit of Happiness in Fortress America. Dr. Low's insightful presentation explores which spaces are truly public today, and which are not. Following Dr. Low's presentation is a discussion with a Senior Vice President at Project for Public Spaces, Meg Walker.