Tim Tompkins Speaks at Placemaking Events

Director’s Office Labs Fellow Tim Tompkins shared his initial work for his Sustaining Places initiative at two recent gatherings of practitioners:

• Public Realm Roundtable: Hosted by PlacemakingX, PlacemakingUS, and the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Tompkins presented and discussed the role of place-centered NGOs in transforming neighborhoods, places, and parks. Noting the success of these hyperlocal, community-led groups that work closely with city governments, he summarized what he sees as the challenges they face and a range of possible solutions to make them more empowered, sustainable, and equitable.
• Greater & Greener Seattle: Hosted by City Parks Alliance, Tompkins engaged in similar discussions with parks non-profits and agencies as part of the conference’s Research Lab.

These sessions affirmed his initial observations that more must be done to reduce the bureaucratic barriers and pain points many non-profit partners face, and that new forms of financing and value capture should be explored to sustain them financially and expand their work into less-resourced areas. Much of his work in the coming months will be engaging with others in the field to explore and refine findings and solutions.