Making a successful arts and culture corridor--the University's vision for 40th Street--requires a delicate balance of commerce and complimentary culture, and a careful consideration of needs and wants on both sides of the street. Such an undertaking is more than a development project, more than planning or design; it's a matter of place-making. And making places, as opposed to making buildings, is, some say, best conceived as a public process. This course will examine the nature of place, the qualities of public and representatives spaces-and the processes through which these places are negotiated and designed. We'll learn about involving the public in place--making through participatory design, and about the challenges and limits of public involvement. Examination of a few case studies-including the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan, and the design of a few civic and cultural institutions' homes--will help us to learn from other projects' successes and failures. Ultimately, we'll apply these concepts as we develop proposals to present to the University for making the Rotunda, at 4012 Walnut Street, into a responsive, responsible, and engaging public place.