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Concurrent Education Session

The Future of the Public Realm

SAT-A05: Inner-City Revival: Building Community Through Placemaking and Urban Recreation

Saturday, October 11, 2025
11:00 AM – 12:15 PM CT
1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Our post-pandemic urban cores continue to struggle with deactivation and deterioration, often rich in public space but poor in recreation opportunities. By leveraging urban recreation as a cue for placemaking to create culturally and environmentally responsive urban recreation hubs, we can promote inclusive community development and revive our downtown environments.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Gain knowledge of how to transform neglected urban spaces and increase activation, safety, and community investment in our inner-city cores through the placemaking of nontraditional urban recreation environments.
  • Learn through case studies how skateparks can evolve from functioning as one-dimensional obstacle parks to becoming culturally and environmentally responsive community hubs with layered recreation programming.
  • Understand the need for and application of Design Justice frameworks and progressive public engagement strategies to increase inclusivity, co-create urban recreation environments, and generate community investment in these spaces.
  • See how Parisite DIY Skatepark (New Orleans) has activated a neglected urban space, increased access to recreation for marginalized communities, created a community stronghold with hybrid programming, and amplified cultural expression.