Connecting people and place.
Connecting people and place.
Public Great is a social impact collective working to cultivate community building and equitable urban development. We work with communities and public, private, and nonprofit entities to facilitate community led solutions to complex urban issues. Our team serves as conduits of community in order to center development in inclusivity.
Our Practice.
Our Practice.
Public Great is a collective led by Wesley Reibling and Jossue Velasquez, dedicated to ensuring community spaces serve as platforms for belonging, cultural practice, and lasting impact. With expertise in equitable urban development, community planning, and network management, Wesley and Jossue have collaborated with communities to advance best practices that center people and place. Their work has fostered a deep network of collaborators committed to building meaningful connections and shaping spaces that reflect and strengthen the communities they serve.
Community-Led Solutions
Lasting change happens when communities are at the center of decision-making. Public Great works alongside communities to develop solutions through inclusive, participatory practices that ensure meaningful engagement and shared power. We partner with organizations to cultivate a culture of inclusivity and power-sharing, embedding community leadership into the process to create more equitable and impactful outcomes.
Network-Based Approaches
Networks are powerful tools for tackling complex, systemic challenges and exist at every level—from local to global. Public Great helps communities and organizations identify, develop, and manage networks to harness collective insight and drive meaningful change. Through intentional processes that strengthen connections, we build networks rooted in purpose, unity, and trust, ensuring they serve as engines for collaboration and long-term impact.
Cultural Placemaking & Placekeeping
Every place carries a history that shapes its present and holds the potential to create lasting impact. Public Great works to surface histories, navigate tensions, and align expectations to ensure cultural expression and practice are amplified. Through intentional engagement, we help establish community spaces that honor the past while fostering lasting, positive legacies for the future.
Policy, Research & Innovation
Rooted in a rich history of people- and place-based practices and a current renaissance of community-driven urban development, Public Great works to document, develop, and share best practices that make urban development, community planning, and network management more accessible. By democratizing knowledge and tools, we help communities and organizations shape more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable public spaces.
Our People.
Our People.
Wesley Lincoln Reibeling (he/him)
Co-Founder | Multidisciplinary Artist and Public Spaces Practitioner
Wesley Reibeling is an urban professional and thought leader specializing in strategic direction, project management, engagement, and arts and culture. He co-chairs the Jane’s Walk Global and the Jane’s Walk Toronto Steering Committees and serves as Program Manager for Toronto Networks and Partnerships at Park People. Wesley also advises UrbanMinds and contributed to the High Line Network’s Community First Equity Toolkit.
A leader in queer urbanism, Wesley has spoken at forums such as The Art of City Building, the High Line Symposium, Placemaking Week, and the PlacemakingX Summit. He is part of The Global LGBTQ+ Storytelling Congress and has lectured at universities including U of T, Toronto Metropolitan University, and Simon Fraser University. Wesley has moderated panels, led tours, and collaborated with partners like the Canadian Park Alliance, Park Collective, STEPS Public Art, Urban Land Institute, the City of Toronto – Doors Open, and Evergreen.
Combining city-building with creative practice, Wesley integrates civic engagement into photography, sound design, and performance. His upcoming theatre show, Flux in the City, will premiere at Calgary’s High-Performance Rodeo in 2025. His writing appears in Spacing Magazine and Project for Public Spaces, with more work on messy urbanism forthcoming.
With a decade of experience in urban engagement, arts, and community-driven projects, Wesley’s approach to urbanism is fueled by a vision of cities as dynamic, inclusive spaces where everyone feels a sense of connection and possibility.
At Public Great, he continues to advocate for projects that elevate creativity, equity, and collaboration in shaping the cities of tomorrow.
Jossue Velasquez (he/him)
Co-Founder | Network Manager and Public Spaces Practitioner
Jossue Velasquez is a leader in operations, community engagement, and reparative urban development, dedicated to creating vibrant, inclusive, and community-driven public spaces.
As Program Manager for the High Line Network at Friends of the High Line, he leads programming for a community of practice that transforms infrastructure into public spaces that strengthen local communities.
Jossue’s expertise in network management and public space research is grounded in hands-on experience at Madison Square Park Conservancy and Bryant Park Corporation, where he oversaw large-scale operations, events, and public programming that fostered connection and accessibility.
Beyond his professional work, Jossue serves on the boards of Metro Hort Group and Friends of Bushwick Inlet Park, advancing his commitment to urban greening and environmental stewardship. He also holds an Urban Naturalist Certificate from the New York Botanical Garden, reflecting his deep interest in sustainability and ecological resilience.
As co-founder of Public Great, Jossue brings together his skills in operations, programming, and engagement to champion projects that prioritize nature, creativity, and community empowerment to reimagine public spaces as platforms for cultural expression and social impact.