In the wake of the Occupy Wall Street movement, leading planers and social scientists examine public space today and freedom of assembly. The Occupy Wall Street movement has challenged the physical manifestation of the First Amendment rights to freedom of assembly. Where and how can people congregate today? Forty social scientists, planners, architects, and civil liberties experts explore the definition, use, role, and importance of public space for the exercise of our democratic rights to free expression. The book also discusses whose voice is heard and what factors limit the participation of minorities in Occupy activities. This foundational work puts issues of democracy and civic engagement back into the center of dialogue about the built environment. Beyond Zuccotti Park is a collaborative effort of Pratt Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, City College of New York School of Architecture, New Village Press and its parent organization, Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility. The book is part of an open civic inquiry on the part of these organizations. The project was seeded by a series of free public forums, Freedom of Assembly: Public Space Today, held at the Center for Architecture in response to the forced clearance of Occupy activities from Zuccotti Park and public plazas throughout the country. The first two recorded programs took place on December 17, 2011 and February 4, 2012.

In the wake of the Occupy Wall Street movement, leading planers and social scientists examine public space today and freedom of assembly. The Occupy Wall Street movement has challenged the physical manifestation of the First Amendment rights to freedom of assembly. Where and how can people congregate today? Forty social scientists, planners, architects, and civil liberties experts explore the definition, use, role, and importance of public space for the exercise of our democratic rights to free expression. The book also discusses whose voice is heard and what factors limit the participation of minorities in Occupy activities. This foundational work puts issues of democracy and civic engagement back into the center of dialogue about the built environment. Beyond Zuccotti Park is a collaborative effort of Pratt Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, City College of New York School of Architecture, New Village Press and its parent organization, Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility. The book is part of an open civic inquiry on the part of these organizations. The project was seeded by a series of free public forums, Freedom of Assembly: Public Space Today, held at the Center for Architecture in response to the forced clearance of Occupy activities from Zuccotti Park and public plazas throughout the country. The first two recorded programs took place on December 17, 2011 and February 4, 2012.

With case studies of neighborhood developments from North and South America, Europe, and Africa that span forty years, Building Together Case Studies in Participatory Planning and Community Building offers a seminal treatise on the community-based design practices of participatory planning and advocacy architecture. This expanded work is built upon the classic book, Batir Ensemble, written by Roger Katan and published in France, about engaging citizens in creating place.

Building Together is designed to appeal to a diverse international audience interested in community-engaged planning, design, and development. These include community development specialists, faculty and students of planning, architecture, community health, and the social sciences, practicing professionals and decision makers in economic development, and community-based organizations. It is written to inform professionals and citizens about participatory process to facilitate collaboration and equitable relationships.

Building Together describes the challenges, the opportunities, and the rewards of grassroots cooperation with case studies that offer vivid personal experiences chosen for their practical lessons. Several projects, which span decades and more than one generation of development, reflect in "street-friendly" language on the long-term applicability and sustainability of historic examples. The cases featured in the book range from large-scale urban projects to smaller architectural projects. Geographic highlight areas are multiple districts of New York City and several sites in Colombia, South America, southern France, and Burkina Faso, Africa.

About the Authors:

Roger Katan: Roger Katan is a French American architect, artist, and educator known as a proponent of the community-based design practices of participatory architecture and advocacy planning. He has been a university instructor, international consultant, lecturer, activist, and author on the subject.

Ron Shiffman: Ron Shiffman is the former director of the Pratt Center for Community Development, which he cofounded in 1964. He is currently a professor at Pratt's Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment.

With case studies of neighborhood developments from North and South America, Europe, and Africa that span more than forty years. this book offers a seminal treatise on the community based design practices of participatory planning an advocacy architecture. "To transform their good intentions into tangible results in neighborhoods jittery over gentrification, the mayor and his planners should read Building Together: Case Studies in Participatory Planning and Community Building." - Sam Roberts, The New York Times With case studies of neighborhood developments from North and South America, Europe, and Africa that span forty years, Building Together offers a seminal treatise on the community-based design practices of participatory planning and advocacy architecture. The authors describe the challenges, opportunities, and rewards of grassroots collaboration through vivid personal accounts chosen for their practical lessons. Their case studies range in scale from regional urban planning to smaller architectural projects, and geographically from Harlem, Greenpoint, and the greater New York Metropolitan region to sites in coastal Colombia, southern France, and Burkina Faso, Africa. Building Together is designed to appeal to a diverse audience of community development specialists, faculty and students of planning, architecture, community health, and the social sciences, practicing professionals and decision-makers in economic development, and community-based organizations.