Public space was the topic of one of the architecture studio classes I taught, during the fall 2010 semester at CEDIM in Monterrey, Mexico. This class was taught to 3rd semester students, and was their first architectural studio class. The students began by surveying the local neighborhood in Santa Catarina, documenting existing public spaces through photographs and sketching. They utilized tools created by Placemaking Chicago to evaluate the different public spaces they visited. After making a model of the neighborhood, they used it to engage local community residents in a dialogue about the chosen site for our main project, an empty lot near the school utilized by community members for playing soccer and baseball. Once the students had identified the current problems with the space they began to develop design proposals of how to transform it into a great place. Each student’s final presentation included plans, sections, site model, and slideshow documenting research, inspiration, and ideas about materials and details included in their proposal. Students worked both at the scale of the entire site as well as developing in more detail one architectural element from their overall proposal.