A Conversation With Fred Kent, Leader in Revitalizing City Spaces, By Samantha Michaels, The Atlantic, September 16, 2011

This is an excellent article on urban planning.  It is Mr. Kent's contention that the people who should be involved in this process are the people who "live, work, and play" (sound familiar?) in the area being considered, not urban planners.  Moreover, his article makes not one reference to the involvement of local developers or politicians in the process (at least in a positive light).  The money quote:  

To us, the community is the expert, so long as they are asked for their input.

This is the introduction to the article:

For someone who makes a living revitalizing city spaces, Fred Kent has an interesting take on professional urban designers: he thinks they're overrated. The real urban design experts, he says, are the ordinary people who actually live and work within a community. And with his nonprofit organization, Project for Public Spaces (PPS), Kent is doing his best to empower them.

Founded in 1975, Project for Public Spaces helps community members design, plan, and manage public spaces by considering their own needs and values. Kent calls this process Placemaking, and he has used it to transform popular landmarks around the world, including Detroit's historic Eastern Market, Houston's Discovery Green park, and New York City's Times Square. Here, he discusses the difference between Placemaking and traditional design, how public spaces can foster stronger communities, and why ordinary people make the best urban planners.

 For the rest of this excellent article, click here.