A place to create a community, a community to create a place

Nearly every enterprise on the planet sets aside time once a year to look back, take stock and celebrate success. Downtown Arlington Management Corporation (DAMC) is no exception, but what makes the 2017 DAMC Annual Meeting special is a forward-thinking agenda led by an international expert. And the Board of Directors is saving you a seat.

Fred Kent, founder and president of Project for Public Spaces, is joining this year’s Annual Meeting as keynote speaker. Known throughout the world as a dynamic speaker and prolific ideas man, Kent is one of the foremost thinkers in livability, smart growth and the future of the urban center. Most recently, Fred has led placemaking efforts in communities including Cape Town Waterfront in South Africa, Crystal City in Alexandria, VA., Museumplein in Amsterdam and Downtown Detroit, MI.

“When you focus on place,” said Fred Kent, founder and president of Project for Public Spaces, “you do everything differently.”

Communities empowering themselves

Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit planning, design and educational organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communities. Considered the central hub of the global placemaking movement, PPS has completed projects in more than 3000 communities in 43 countries and in all 50 states in the U.S.

The Atlantic once asked Kent, "What do you do?" He replied:

“We use a different approach to designing and planning cities -- not a top-down approach, but a community-led approach that focuses on places. We see it as a sacred duty to help people create good places for themselves. To achieve that, we talk to the people who live, work, and play in a particular space. We ask them questions. We listen to them. We find out what they need and what they aspire to. Then we take that information and create a vision, which can evolve quickly into a strategy for implementing change.”

Greater than the sum of its parts

Tony Rutigliano, president and CEO of Downtown Arlington Management Corporation, believes that Kent’s words are not only relevant but prophetic for Downtown Arlington.

“For the past several years,” said Rutigliano, “Downtown Arlington has experienced significant transformation thanks to the efforts of individual investors, city and community leaders. But while these individual efforts are crucial, they can’t completely fulfill the promise of downtown revitalization because there’s very little connectivity or cohesiveness between them.

“We’re so fortunate to have Fred come speak to us at this moment in our history,” Rutigliano continued, “to help us visualize the next and most important thing we can do for a truly sustainable Downtown Arlington: placemaking.”

Tickets and more information

Sponsored in part by The University of Texas at Arlington and Texas Trust Credit Union, the 2017 DAMC Annual Meeting and luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6, 2017 at the Arlington Convention Center. Tickets are $45 per person and 10 per table. Event sponsorship opportunities are also available. Click here for more information or to buy your tickets today.

About Project for Public Spaces

Project for Public Spaces is a nonprofit planning, design and educational organization that helps people transform their public spaces into vital places that highlight local assets, spur rejuvenation and serve common needs. Founded in 1975 to expand on the work of William (Holly) Whyte, author of The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, PPS is considered the premier center for best practices, information and resources on placemaking.

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About Downtown Arlington

An official State of Texas Cultural District, Downtown Arlington, Texas blends a unique mix of activities, sights, tastes and sounds that attract visitors and locals alike. Within its less than a two-mile radius, Downtown is home to a top tier public research university, prolific fine and performing artists and arts institutions, live entertainment, exciting NCAA and professional athletics, one-of-a-kind dining and retail, and a supportive business climate. Downtown Arlington brings together a plethora of cultures and inspirations with a character all its own.