Ethan Kent works to support public space organizations, projects, and leadership around the world to build a global placemaking movement. Ethan has traveled to more than 1,000 cities and 60 countries to advance the cause of leading urban development with inclusive public spaces and placemaking. In 2019, he co-founded PlacemakingX to network, amplify, and accelerate placemaking leadership and impact globally. He builds on more than 20 years of working on placemaking projects and campaigns with Project for Public Spaces. Ethan has been integral to the development of placemaking as a transformative approach to economic development, environmentalism, transportation planning, governance, resilience, social equity, design, digital space, tourism, and innovation.

Ethan has keynoted well over 100 of the top urbanism conferences and has helped organize dozens of the placemaking conferences that have most shaped the movement.