For those that are interested in learning what crowdsourced placemaking is all about, rather than explain it in charts, videos and case studies, perhaps it may best be explained by how it makes a difference for a single individual.

Let’s take young Robin Messerli of the crowdsourced placemaking effort in Bristol, Connecticut, known as Bristol Rising. Here are excerpts of what she has to say…

...Bristol is my home and I wish it were a place able to thrive for the next generation…

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Posted publicly on Facebook here, Keith Ammann’s question on how to go about crowdsourcing a creative cultural district in the small town of Freeport, Illinois, supported with detailed advantages and disadvantages, is followed by a suggested plan:

Summary of advantages: 3-4 block downtown with a mix of architectural styles; moderate vacancy rate; mixed-use zoning allowing for apartments over storefronts; established, locally owned businesses including two coffeehouses; a successful multiplex

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My favorite feature:  Reader Experiences.  Please send yours, whether you live in or visited a place worth sharing to inspire a higher quality of life.  This one is from Dick de Jong of Brandaris Placemarketing in the Netherlands.

“In addition to your outdoor cafe district, stage row, alley, plaza, here in the City of Utrecht, the Netherlands you can find the ‘outdoor cafe canal’.  Built nine centuries ago, there is a unique extra lower level along the canals in Utrecht.  These levels used to

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Today’s entry is part of my favorite series on this site, ‘Reader Experiences‘. Profiling Vancouver in this story is Luke Graven from Portland, Oregon.

“There has been much written about Vancouver, Canada being a great city.  This British Columbian city has been ranked the number one city in a row by the Economist magazine survey. Here are 5 reasons why it ranks high from a CoolTown perspective:

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My favorite category on this website is Reader Experiences. What better way to profile inspiring places than to have readers relive such moments. Today’s such person is Christian MacAuley, CEO of FabApps. Her experience:

“Philz Coffee in San Francisco makes your coffee one cup at a time. It feels special and tastes awesome. After waiting in line to be served, a staff member makes your coffee with you one-on-one, asking for your exact preferences so you’re getting very individualized attention

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Since there are too many inspiring places for one person to absorb, it is our customer-driven fashion to let our readers show you what’s out there, and more importantly, what could be realized in your city.

Today’s reader discovery is on Temple Bar, a cultural, retail-entertainment-residential pedestrian-only (see map) district in downtown Dublin, Ireland, as experienced by Kamile Kay, a knowledge worker in Virginia and occasional world traveler:

“I like it since it was pedestrian only and

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Youngbin Park at Cornell University provides this response to Monday’s blog on our ongoing reader request for what they think is cool - Ithaca Commons, a downtown pedestrian mall that is experiencing a recent revival of vitality after years of neglect:

“It’s similar to a square, but full of independently-owned stores, restauarants, and bars.  During the summer time, the Commons host concerts on a weekly basis.  The layout of the Common’s is very
nice with plenty of benches, trees, chess

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Thanks to Annie Lux at UNC in response to yesterday’s blog on our ongoing reader request for cool places, here’s a look at how to turn a supermarket into a third place:

“I did a “what’s cool in Carrboro, NC” project for an environmental design/behavior class. The winner was a food co-op/take-out restaurant called Weaver Street Market and is one of the most amazing community gathering places I’ve seen. It’s got a huge lawn, fountain, plenty of outdoor seating and free town-provided wireless

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There are way too many cool places (here and overseas) that shouldn’t be overlooked, so it thrills me when someone’s willing to document such a destination. Here I present artist extraordinaire Laura Sanda, who experienced one of three up and coming neighborhoods in Paris featured in Budget Travel’s Nouveau Paris.

“I have a firm belief that the Metro map is tattooed somewhere in my brain, for while I cannot tell you what side my gas tank is on, I can tell you exactly how to get across town in

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