Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Ivy Lupco, the Founder of Third Place Makers.

I've always believed that the most important work is beyond just designing places—it's creating the conditions for people to belong.
 

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of leading placemaking initiatives, community engagement strategies, public art programs, partnerships, events, and public realm projects that brought people together and enhanced physical environments. Those experiences reinforced something I've come to believe wholeheartedly: communities don't thrive because of great buildings alone. They thrive because of the relationships, stories, opportunities, and experiences those places make possible.
 

That belief is what led me to create Third Place Makers.
 

For years, I had the opportunity to focus on a single community, helping shape one downtown through strategic partnerships, public space activation, economic development, and community-building initiatives. While that work was incredibly rewarding, I realized my passion had grown beyond the boundaries of one organization or one ZIP code.
 

I wanted to take what I'd learned and built to partner with communities across the county and country—helping cities, developers, nonprofits, business districts, institutions, and organizations think differently about the role places play in people's lives.
 

To me, placemaking has never been just about the built environment.

It's about understanding human behavior. Creating opportunities for connection, strengthening local businesses, empowering community voices, supporting economic vitality, and designing experiences that invite people to participate rather than simply pass through. It's about asking not just what should we build? but how do we help people feel like they belong here? 
 

The best communities aren't created by one discipline alone. They're built through collaboration between planners, developers, business owners, artists, local governments, nonprofits, institutions, and the people who call those places home. My role is helping bring those perspectives together, connecting vision with implementation in ways that are thoughtful, strategic, and deeply rooted in the people each place serves.
 

That work doesn’t just happen in theory—it shows up in ongoing dialogue, shared learning, and contributing to the broader field of placemaking practice. 
 

At the end of the day, my work isn't about creating destinations.
 

It's about helping create communities where people choose to stay, connect, invest, and belong.