Many cities around the world offer inspiring examples of how creative Placemaking allows people to enjoy public spaces and lively city streets in winter.

• Quebec City, famed for its winter carnival and street vendors selling hot bread, is a prime example of making winter into an asset.

• Same for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, where the Rideau Canal becomes the focal point of civic life in the winter as folks strap on their blades for a chance to skate through a wintry landscape rather than just making circles around a rink or pond. People even commute to work that way.

• The Toronto suburb of Mississauga fashioned a long-distance skating course by flooding a walking trail.

• New York stands out among American cities. Rockefeller Center is famous for its ice rink, which becomes the beloved heart of Midtown Manhattan by attracting a handful of skaters and the crowds of onlookers who love to watch them glide back and forth.

• Large European cities keep their street markets open up to Christmas, taking on a holiday theme (with tree growers, artisans, hot beverages, chili, toasted sandwiches, etc.). This has spread to many large markets in the U.S., as well.

• St. Paul, Dartmouth, and Quebec City are known for their amazing winter carnivals or festivals, each lasting more than a week.

• Paris and Edinburgh are the beacons of the creative use of light in business districts, public squares, and key gathering points.