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The Great Places Forum brings people together to discuss, celebrate, embrace and commit to creating great places in all aspects of communities.
By raising awareness of the critical role of place in the dialogue of community, quality of life, environment, and economy, we hope to galvanize citizens and leaders to transform cities and conserve natural areas for future generations.
The Great Places Forum wants to encourage and support people who care about these issues to continue to do the work they do best—whether as planners, business owners, artists, entrepreneurs, health care providers, construction workers, volunteers, educators, public officials, community activists, developers or stellar citizens—knowing that their efforts collectively contribute to making our communities great places to live. Indeed, as Gene Duvernoy at the Cascade Land Conservancy says, we must make our communities spectacular
places to live so people eagerly make that choice.
The Great Places Forum sponsors events to organize people around the holistic vision of placemaking as a tool to build community, create great cities, celebrate culture and foster sustainability.
History:
The Great Places Forum began in 2004 with a series of visionary conversations among a diverse group of professionals seeking ways to stimulate the creation of vibrant, livable and spectacular communities. They envisioned a groundswell of interest as people began to understand why places matter and discussed the idea of an event similar the first "Earth Day" event that drew a million people to Washington DC, and helped bring the environmental movement to the mainstream.