Project for Public Places

I stumbled across the Project for Public Places today while looking into public art issues. They are a New York-based resource for the “livable communities” movement. Reading the descriptions of favorite public places is not unlike another catalogue of fantastic places I’ve been reading lately: Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities. OK, the poeticism might not be there, but these are real places you can visit. In particular, Barcelona’s Antoni Gaudi-designed Parc Guell (built 1900-1914) caught my eye with its rambling courtyard, towers and staircases. “PPP” also features a Hall of Shame that includes this critique of Philly’s new Kimmel Center.