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.

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! ⬇️