PPS’s International Placemaking Week seeks to bring together practitioners, policy-makers, and public space advocates from all over the world to share the stories, projects, and innovations that are making placemaking one of the most critical movements of the 21st century.

Mid-size cities, in the U.S. and elsewhere, are witnessing an unprecedented resurgence of interest in public space topics and issues—from accessibility and private development, to democracy and equity. The themes of this conference will examine these trends, as well as showcase how Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial and place-based approach to public space and economic development can play a key role in these discussions, while simultaneously addressing issues around sustainable and equitable job growth in the city.

Highlighting issues that are specific to the context of Chattanooga but broadly applicable to cities worldwide, we are accepting proposals that address two major themes of this event:

Equity: How can placemaking holistically improve the quality of life in our communities and ensure that every citizen benefits?

Innovation: How can placemaking help accelerate economic development, incubate new products, services and ideas, and expand economic opportunity for all?

Now is the time to give us your big ideas: we want to hear about your experience, your stories, your tools, and your lessons, to understand how placemaking can help address local and global challenges!

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION

Important: You will not be able to save your application form as you work on your proposal. We recommend that you prepare in advance for the proposal questions and word/character counts. You can do so by reviewing a proposal checklist here.

This year's application form contains a series of questions regarding the session’s content, structure, audience, and outcomes. Please note:

• You may submit multiple proposals, but no more than two will be selected.
• We expect to notify applicants of successful applications in late April.
• If selected to present, you will still be expected to register for the event at our discounted "speaker rate". Price will be provided after the selection process.

Review: Proposals will be evaluated by the Program Review Committee which will include individuals from participating partners as well as outside experts in the field. Acceptance will be based on completeness and quality of the application, presenter expertise, contributions to the placemaking field(s), and demonstration of the proposal’s focus on equity.

SESSION FORMATS

Proposals will need to fall into one of the following formats. Strong preference will be given to interactive workshops, sessions that include diverse voices, more innovative formats over lecture-style presentations, and off-site activities that engage Chattanooga as a living laboratory:

• Panel: A moderated “fireside chat” format used to spark cross-disciplinary dialogue, and to dig deeply into panelists’ expertise. (75 min, 2-4 panelists including moderator)
• Hands-on Workshop: These “classroom” style workshops focus on enhancing practical skills and showcasing strategies and techniques. (75 min, 1-2 facilitators)
• Short Talk: The conference organizers will curate multiple short talk sessions consisting of of 6-7 presenters. Successful applicants to this format will be placed in a session with other presenters addressing similar topics. (7 min, 1 presenter)
• Other: Feel free to propose another type of session or activity that is not listed here. For example, an off-site workshop, a tour, a placemaking activation, or another interesting idea that we haven’t thought of yet!

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We look forward to receiving your submission!

For any questions about the Call for Proposals process, please email us at: info@placemakingweek.org

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