Place and Placemaking

This book focuses on the importance of place and the multifaceted process of placemaking to the creation of durable and meaningful urban environments. It features international thought leaders, judiciously curated and convened across disciplines, cultures, and viewpoints to debate their perspectives on the merits and challenges of place and placemaking. Chapters investigate the tenor, timeliness, and tensions of place, and how we envision, co-create, and communicate place with colleagues, citizens, and critics. Stemming from the first Rudy Bruner Debate on Urban Excellence, chapter authors expressly present their experience, insights, and questions on place and placemaking, inspiring critical reflection and action in the world that surrounds us. This book will be of interest to students and practitioners in urban planning, urban design, real estate, architecture, and landscape architecture and to urban advocates and civic leaders.

Conrad Kickert, PhD, is an associate professor at the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning, and the Director of Programs at the Rudy Bruner Center for Urban Excellence. Born and raised in The Netherlands, Conrad received degrees in urbanism and architecture at the TU Delft and holds a PhD in architecture from the University of Michigan. He has worked as an urban researcher and designer for various design offices, property developers, and non-profit organizations in The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Camden Miller, PhD, is a clinical assistant professor at the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning and the Director of Operations at the Rudy Bruner Center for Urban Excellence. Camden investigates housing market dynamics (its limitations and exclusion of under-represented groups including people of color and low-income) and how we can work towards providing high-quality affordable housing for everyone within the housing market.

Robert Shibley, FAIA, FAICP, is Dean Emeritus of the University at Buffalo’s School of Architecture and Planning and the Director of the Rudy Bruner Center for Urban Excellence. During his term as Dean from 2011 to 2023, Shibley guided the school to a top position in research generation among the nation’s schools of architecture and planning. As a teacher, scholar, and practitioner of architecture and planning for more than 50 years, he has dedicated his career to advancing knowledge-based design and placemaking in service to the public.