Elena Madison is an urban planner with rich experience in the planning and design of parks, plazas, campuses, and the public spaces of civic and cultural institutions. A veteran of Placemaking, Elena has a passion for working with people in communities to create the places they love. She is a dedicated practitioner of collaborative work in all aspects of placemaking from visioning, concept development and design, to programming, place management and implementation. Elena has directed many exciting projects in places where Project for Public Spaces has had a big impact such as Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. She heads the Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community Grant program at PPS, now entering its seventh year with close to 20 implemented projects across the United States. In addition, she is spearheading new pilot placemaking grant programs with the MassMutual Foundation in Springfield, MA, and the William Davidson Foundation in Detroit. Elena is also leading PPS’ place management initiative helping communities manage their public spaces to create inclusive, intentional, livable and connected social environments. Social inclusion of vulnerable and underserved groups in public space is a particular focus of her efforts.