CYNTHIA NIKITIN
Placemaker | New York
Cynthia Nikitin led numerous large-scale multi-sectoral place-based community-led projects during her twenty eight years with Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org). Cynthia’s technical expertise stretches from the development of downtown master plans and transit facility and station area enhancement projects, to the creation of corridor-wide transportation and land use strategies, to the development of creative placemaking initiatives, the coalescing of government buildings, libraries and cultural institutions into civic centres, using placemaking to create safer and healthier cities and upgrade informal settlements in the developing world.
From 2012-2018, she directed the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design™, a leadership initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts which focuses on providing technical design assistance to rural communities and small towns across the United States. Cynthia facilitated multi-day training with 19 communities to help them address a wide range of design challenges. www.rural-design.org/where-we-work.
Cynthia also managed the Heart of the Community program, a five year partnership with Southwest Airlines to create transformative public spaces. The program is committed to leveraging the power of Placemaking to strengthen connections between people and the places they share and to spark social, economic, and environmental benefits in communities across the US.
She has led over three hundred placemaking training workshops and seminars around the world, and continues to provide technical assistance to ThinkCity, an urban regeneration organization based in four cities in Malaysia. Currently, she is the Resilient Places Strategist and a Senior Fellow with Sustainable Hudson Valley, advocating for a place-based people-centred approach to disaster recovery and mitigation.
Most recently, she has worked with Wessel Badenhorst of UrbanMode delivering placemaking training for Cork City, the Sandyford Business District and Wicklow County Council in Ireland.
We first met Cynthia in 2018, as we were looking for interesting keynote speakers for our research network kick-off. Since then we have HAD THE GREAT PLEASURE TO LEARN FROM HER AMAZING INSIGHTS.
“Meeting Cynthia was a turning point for our organization. She provided us with a vocabulary and a broader UNDERSTANDING OF MURALS IN place contexts”
— STEFFEN GRAY, CHAIRMAN
SHE MADE SEVERAL PROJECTS POSSIBLE
URBAN CREATIVES YOUTH PROGRAM
Recently, Cynthia has developed a series of educational videos for our Urban Creatives Youth Programme, describing the elements that make places successful. These include examples of outdoor public spaces and venues where young street artists might consider performing in order to have the most positive impact upon and enliven the public realm.
OUR CREATIVE PLACEMAKING JOURNEY
As we grew more into the ideas of Placemaking, Cynthia provided amazing insights into common practises and approaches from North American and European Contexts.
MURALS, COMMUNITY & PLACE CONFERENCE
Planning an academic and professional conference about muralism and creative placemaking in Copenhagen, Cynthia gave a keynote summing up almost 30 years of experience! In her keynote, she presented a vast number of formal and informal urban transformation projects, where urban art and murals was used as the primary driver for change.
BACKGROUND AND ROLES
Education
Clark University, Bachelor of Arts: Art History and Comparative Politics, 1981.
New York University, Masters of Arts: Arts Management and Urban Planning, 1991.
Professional Affiliations
Social Navigator for the "Urban Environment" project, RIA Novosti, Moscow Russia
Member, Future of Places and Placemaking Leadership Council, Stockholm and New York
Grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America Fast Track Grants, ongoing
Board Member Ex-Officio, Bronx River Art Center, Bronx, NY
Selected Publications
“Collaborative Placemaking,” Public Art Review, Issue 45, Fall/Winter 2011.
“From Cow Town to Our Town: Is Public Art Part of the American Dream?” Public Art Review, Issue 39, Fall/Winter 2008.
“Achieving Great Federal Public Spaces,” General Services Administration, Washington, DC Spring 2007.
Review of “Environmentally Concerned” at the Bronx River Art Center, Bronx, NY, Sculpture Magazine, April 2001.
“Making Public Art Work,” (a review of key public participation methods and practices), Sculpture Magazine, July 2000.
Review of “Premises: Invested Spaces in Visual Arts, Architecture and Design from France,” Guggenheim Museum Soho, New York. Sculpture Magazine, January 2000.
“How Community and Transportation Partnerships are Shaping America: Parts I and II,” American Public Transit Association and American Association of State and Highway Transportation Officials, July 1999 and September 2000.
“Art in Transit Catalogue 1999,” for the Bi-State Development Agency’s Arts in Transit Program, St. Louis, MO, October 1999.
Presentations and Lectures
Professional Development Session Leader, “Place-based Tourism: Tourism 2.0,” Ontario Business Improvement Agency Association national conference, London, Ontario, April 13, 2016 Presenter and workshop leader, “Creating Healthy Places,” United Nations Urban Thinker’s Campus, Kuching, Malaysia, January 25, 2016. Panelist, “Building Creative Communities,” New Mexico Main Street Conference, Santa Fe, NM November 15, 2015 Panel Presentation, “Places People Love,” Congress for a New Urbanism, Dallas, TX, April 30, 2015 Keynote Address, “Placemaking: The Ultimate Art,” New York State Historic Preservation Annual Conference, Geneva, NY, April 18, 2015 Keynote Address, “Parks as Multi-Use Destinations and Catalysts for Community Revitalization”, Park Pride Annual Parks and Greenspace Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 23, 2015 Keynote Address, “Planning Public Spaces As The Heart Of Every Community,” New Jersey 2015 APA Conference, New Brunswick, NJ, January 30, 2015 Panelist, “Placemaking: Reimagining Public Spaces Through Public/Private Partnerships,” Net Impact Conference, Minneapolis, MN, November 7, 2014 Keynote Address, Upper Mississippi Main Street Conference, La Crosse Wisconsin, October 22, 2014 Webinar, “Creative Placemaking,” Kresge Foundation, Detroit Michigan, September 2014 Panelist, “How Placemaking Can Transform Transit Facilities into Vibrant Destinations” Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place Conference, Pittsburgh, PA , September 10, 2014
Webinar Leader, Creative Placemaking “Webinar,” Ártscape Toronto, March 31 2014
Webinar Presenter, Americans for the Arts, "Rural Placemaking," February 28, 2014
Panelist, Placemaking and the Global South, APA-New York Metro Chapter Biennial Conference, Columbia University NY, November 8, 2013
Panelist, “Safer Cities Presentation,” Tryggare Sverige - Safer Cities Sweden at Almedalen, Visby Sweden June 2013
Public Presentation and facilitation of a “Lighter Quicker Cheaper Training and Public Lecture,” George Town, Penang Malaysia, February 2013
City of Putrajaya and Khazanah National, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Series of lectures, presentations, public workshops and technical assistance, February 2013
Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place, “Thinking Beyond the Station,” Long Beach, CA, September 13, 2012
Training Session, “Placemaking Exercise,” R Squared Risk and Reward Conference, Telluride, CO September 11, 2012
Facilitated. Lead, and Participated in Sessions at the UN HABITAT World Urban Forum VI, including a Networking Event, Training Session, and Expert Roundtable, Naples, Italy, September 3-6, 2012
Respondent, “Engaging Communities in City Design.” La Fabrique de la Cite conference, Amsterdam, September 2012.
Keynote Address, Bay Area LISC Urban Forum, “Building Neighborhoods Through Economic Development,” San Francisco, CA, June 27, 2012.
Speaker, Strategies for a New Economy Conference, “Reclaiming the Commons: Creating Community Agency and Ownership of Public Spaces and Resources”, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY, June 9, 2012.
Our Town Southeast Houston, “Creative Placemaking,”Lecture funded under an NEA Our Town grant, Houston, TX, May 11, 2012.
Clark University Geography Association, “Practicing Geography”, Lecture, Worcester, MA, March 22, 2012
Keynote Presentation: “Good Public Spaces: the Art of Placemaking”, City Workshop on Public Spaces,
City Council of Nairobi and field sites (Kibera/Silanga and Jeevanjee Gardens), 28th February -2 March 2012
Keynote address, Johannesburg Placemaking Seminar, Mayor’s Council Chambers, Johannesburg, South Africa, 8 November 2011
Panelist., “Strategies for Meaningful Community Involvement,” APA NJ Conference, New Brunswick, NJ, November 4, 2011
Keynote address and interactive workshop, “The Space Lab: Creating Great, Safe, Public Spaces for Everyone,” Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, Waterloo and Cambridge, Ontario Canada October 20 and 21, 2011
Keynote address, “TAGS Anti-Graffiti Symposium,” Edmonton Alberta Canada, October 19, 2011
Lecture, “Lighter Quick Cheaper: A Low Cost High Impact Approach to Placemaking,” Edmonton Alberta Canada, October 19, 2011
Panelist, “Cities and Climate Change,” High Level Meeting, World Habitat Day Observance, UN Headquarters, NY, October 3, 2011
Presentation, “Creating Safer Communities for Women and Girls Through Placemaking,” UN Women Stakeholders Planning Meeting, Cairo Egypt, July 2011
Presentation, “Thinking Beyond the Station,” Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance Great Neighborhoods Forum, Boston MA, June 2011
Placemaker in Residence, George Town Penang Malaysia courtesy of Think City, May 2011
Placemaking lectures: Seoul National University, University of Seoul, Architecture and Urban Research Institute, Seoul, South Korea May 2011
Visiting scholar, Asia Creative Academy, Seoul, South Korea, May 2011
Keynote Address, “What makes a Great Public Space,” La Fabrique de la Cite Public Space Conference, Barcelona Spain, May 5 2011
“Constructive Approach to Urban Planning with Communities” powerpoint presentation, Visionary Values for Sustainable Cities GlobalCity Forum, Abu Dhabi, UAE, March 15 2011
Planner In Residence, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, February 28 to March 4, 2011
Keynote Address, Saskatoon Heritage Society Annual Fundraising Dinner, Friday March 4, 2011
“The Role of Place-making in Creating Great Heritage Districts” Wednesday, March 2, 2011, Saskatoon City Hall, Council Chambers, SK
“Civic Squares and Downtown Parks, “Wednesday, March 2, 2011, Broadway Theater, Saskatoon, SK
Panelist, “Beyond Housing: Using Art, Parks, and Cultural Events to Build Community,” Neighborhood Preservation Coalition, NY, NY October 2010
Key Note Address, “Museums as Fulcrums of Communities,” Alberta Museum Association Annual Conference, Edmonton AB September 2010
Public Lecture, Two day Placemaking Workshop, Strelka Institute of Architecture, Media and Design, Moscow, Russia, August 2010
Presentation and Workshop, “Placemaking Strategies for Urban Safety,” CSIR and UN Habitat for Safer Cities, Pretoria, South Africa, July 2010
Panelist, Downtown Revitalization, ICSC Conference, Waikiki Business Improvement Association, Honolulu, HI June 2010
Selection Committee Member, US EPA Smart Growth Awards for 2010, Washington DC, May 2010
Presentation, “Principles and Practice in Placemaking for Parks,” International Garden Symposium, Seoul, South Korea, March 2010.
Presentation, “Placemaking and Public Markets,” Market Planning and Design Workshop sponsored by the Korean Ministry of Arts and Culture, Seoul, South Korea, March 2010.
Presentation, “Crime Prevention from Across the World: Taking Stock, Evaluation, and Future Perspectives”, 15th Anniversary International Centre for the Prevention of Crime, December 8th & 9th 2009,Montreal, QC, Canada
Keynote Presenter, “Promoting Public Spaces as Destinations,” Korean Tourism Board’s annual Knowledge Forum, Incheon City, South Korea, November 2009
Walk 21 New York, “Tools for Public Participation in Transit Planning,” Panelist, October 2009
Keynote Presenter, Glocal 2009, LAN 21 Network Agenda Conference, Cascais, Portugal September 23, 2009
Keynote Presenter, Walk On Workshop, Brantford Ontario, September 9, 2009 and Blind River, Ontario Canada, May 2009
Keynote Address, Imagine Miami Changemaker Conference II, Miami Florida, July 2009
Lecturer, ”Public Space Design Guidelines,” Korea Design Foundation, Seoul South Korea, March 2009.
Ontario Library Association SuperConference, Highlighted Speaker, January 2009, Toronto Ontario Canada
Keynote Address, 4th Public Design Exhibition & Seminar: The Value of Design for All, organized by the Hope Institute, Seoul South Korea, November 11-12, 2008
Walk 21 Barcelona, Walkability Conference, Plenary Presenter, Panel Moderator, Workshop Facilitator, Program Committee Member, October and April 2008, Barcelona Spain
Presenter, “PONTO DE ENCONTRO,” Enova Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, October 2008
Civic Institutions as Community Anchors presentation, International Downtown Association annual conference, Calgary Alberta Canada, September 2008
Context Sensitive Solutions: Designing Transportation Projects for People and Places, “CSS and Transit,” Denver, CO July 2008
Keynote Address, Saskatchewan Library Association Annual Meeting, Regina SK Canada, May 2008
Keynote Address, British Columbia Library Association Annual Meeting, Richmond BC Canada April 2008
TRB Annual Conference, Thinking Beyond the Station, Wash., DC, January 2008
Thinking Beyond the Station Presentation, Railvolution, Miami, FL, November 2007
Facilitator of a one day walkability training workshop for City Councilors from around Canada at the Walk 21 Conference, October 2007 Toronto, ON
Presentation, Transportation Research Board, Transportation and Land use Conference, Denver, CO, August 2007
Facilitator of two professional conference sessions focused upon Place-based City Design to create sustainable public spaces, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Toronto, ON, May 2007.
Participant in the National Library Agenda Roundtable, one of 47 people selected to help develop a national legislative agenda for Libraries to be presented to Congress for federal funding, sponsored by the American Library Association, Washington, DC, December 2006.
Presenter and participant in Building Libraries, Building Communities: A Summit on the Role of Public Libraries in Re-creating Community on the Gulf Coast, convened by the Southern Libraries Network (Solinet) and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, November 2006.
