April First, 2006 | Project for Public Spaces (PPS)

Feature Story:

National Mall to Become Lunchtime Hangout for Congress

Congressmen enjoy a test run of the proposed Thursday potlucks on the National Mall.

With partisan tensions running high on Capitol Hill, it appears that both sides of the aisle can still manage to agree on one thing: Hanging out together on the National Mall for good food and friendly conversation. Earlier this week, HR 2376, known as the Unhurried Senators and Representatives Enjoying Potlucks and Socializing Together Act of 2006 (USA REPAST), passed with near unanimous support in the House of Representatives.

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Also in this Issue:

New Self-Help Movement Transforms the Streets of America

Auto Addicts Anonymous credited with reviving community life.

O Canada!

Placemaking sweeps the north country.

Let 10,000 Plazas Bloom

Texas looks south for ideas to enliven its communities.

PPS Names Best and Worst Public Spaces in the Galaxy

From universe-spanning wormholes to neighborhood asteroid belts, here are the best places we've come across. Plus, don't miss our Cosmic Hall of Shame.

Torino Converts Olympic Spaces into Summertime La Dolce Vita

"Sure, it was easy to get people to come out in public in the dead of winter, but once the snow melts – what is there for them to do?"

PPS Staffers Branch Out as Fashion Models for J. Crew

"It's sort of weird. I never envisioned myself as a fashion model."

New York Round-up

Forest City Ratner drops arena proposal for Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards. Plus, New York's first Bike and Walk to Work Week, a surprising announcement from IKEA, and a change of plans for the Bronx Terminal Market.

Introducing Sodpavers...

...the green alternative to wide swaths of asphalt.

More Issues of Faking Places:

April 1, 2005

Fearful of losing their long dominance of the streets, millions of autos staged massive park-ins in public spaces around the nation to protest pedestrians and alternative modes of transportation.