Placemaking is a practice advanced by urbanist Jane Jacobs and others in the 1960s that promoted multi-dimensional approaches to planning, designing and managing public spaces. NYC-based Project for Public Spaces has helped rekindle interest in placemaking and expand its adoption in the urban development community over the past few decades.

Artscape coined the term “creative placemaking” in 2006 to assert that there was a unique way in which arts, culture and creative pursuits could be leveraged to add transformative value to neighbourhoods. The notion behind creative placemaking is not simply about undertaking placemaking in a creative way, but rather it is about leveraging art and culture as a catalyst for urban and community development. Today there is a global community of practice using creative placemaking approaches to develop stronger, more dynamic and inclusive communities.