Placemaking for urban livability: A Systematic Literature Review based on the place diagram framework

In response to the intensifying challenges of urbanization, the discourse on urban livability has gained renewed prominence in planning and policy agendas. Livability, broadly understood as the quality and desirability of life in urban environments, intersects with multiple dimensions of physical, social, and cultural space. Within this evolving framework, placemaking has emerged as a strategic and human-centered approach to designing inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable public spaces. This study critically examines placemaking strategies through the lens of the Place Diagram developed by the Project for Public Spaces, which conceptualizes placemaking across four interrelated dimensions: sociability, access and linkages, comfort and image, lastly uses and activities. Employing a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology, this study synthesizes several academic contributions that address the social dimensions of placemaking and their relevance to enhancing urban livability. The review identifies a growing scholarly emphasis on sociability, access and linkages as the most frequently and thoroughly explored components. These include themes such as community interaction, neighborhood identity, accessibility, and walkability, the elements that are repeatedly affirmed as essential for fostering inclusive and socially resilient public spaces. Conversely, comfort, image, uses and activities remain underdeveloped in selected literatures, particularly about sensory, emotional, and experiential aspects of place, as well as the temporal and adaptive qualities of space-based activities. The findings reveal that placemaking is more than a design intervention, it is a participatory and governance-oriented process that relies on the interplay of policy, civic engagement, and cultural practice. As such, it is increasingly recognized as a critical strategy for achieving urban livability, contributing to healthier, safer, and more socially connected urban environments.