Livable And Lovable Cities 13
The Market Square, the Town, and the Planet
Published in the Stratford Gazette, 28 February 2013.
Last month I wrote about the Transition Town Movement. This time I’m going to deal with two organizations that are also working to improve urban spaces so as to create more accessible and inviting frameworks for social and community life. Like all such organizations, they start with what exists now and imagine what could be.
The Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org), founded in 1975, is dedicated to creating urban spaces that build a vital and nourishing sense of community. It originated in the work of William H. Whyte, a pioneer urbanist, journalist, and people- watcher.
PPS works with individuals and communities to create a vision of what their community could become. It developed the concept of placemaking, which is not just the act of building or fixing up a space but is in fact a whole process of fostering the creation of good public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well-being, the kinds of spaces that increase public involvement in the appearance and use of their natural and built environment.
It recognizes that improved public spaces promote health – walkable streets encourage walking rather than driving – and a general sense of well-being and feeling connected to a place. By encouraging the increased use of an urban space, they contribute to its safety.
It’s possible to see many of the PPS principles and practices in what is happening in urban design and planning. For instance, the consultations that are part of the Stratford Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan draw on the opinions and experiences of people living in Stratford and interested in improving its urban design and functioning. Consultation with the local people, the users or potential users of the space, is a vital element of the work that PPS does.
Another organization working in this field is the Better Block Project (http://betterblock.org). The “Better Block” team works with local individuals and community organizations to imagine how a particular space could be improved. Then, on the basis of that, it helps to install temporary amenities to demonstrate what could be done. The temporary amenities include potted trees, benches, and sidewalk tables. They might involve temporary narrowing of the street so as to provide wider pedestrian space and/or a bike lane, or simply more social outdoor space. The temporary installation could include pop-up restaurants and retail outlets, and the whole project will encourage the existing businesses to reach out to passers-by and create a greater sense of openness and accessibility.
The temporary nature of the installation means that everyone can experiment, tinker, and dream big dreams. They can express their vision in physical terms without – yet – having to put a shovel in the ground. By showing what is possible, and by measuring success, each project provides hard information for city authorities considering change.
BBP also runs workshops in which the participants learn everything from designing the installation and get planning approval to evaluating its successes and failures.
These organizations provide us in Stratford with examples that are both interesting and useful. They articulate the ideals that drive Stratford’s Market Square Project and the many people here who would like to preserve and enhance our downtown’s potential to be a great people place and the core of the city’s public life.
We have in fact been doing the kind of thing that both of these organizations foster. The Sunday Slow Food Market that is now a very welcome feature of the Market Square in the summer shows how the area can attract customers and visitors. The tables-and-chairs, the music, the availability of delicious snack food and drink, all make the Market a destination and suggest ways in which a revitalized Market Square could function. It is, in fact, a kind of pop-up.
Other events such as the food truck gathering last summer, and the use of the Square during “Savour Stratford”, also indicate that we are already working in line with the ideals and practices of these organizations.
We are in fact part of a very wide movement that’s imagining cities that will be healthier, greener, and more people-friendly, that will be more attractive to residents and visitors alike.
Both organizations – and the Market Square Project and other organizations and individuals in Stratford – start from the understanding that cities are where most of us live nowadays and that it is sensible to make those cities as healthy and safe, as livable and lovable, as possible.
Brandis has lived in Stratford since 1996 and is a full-time writer. She is the author of a number of books – visit Marianne's website
Published in the Stratford Gazette, 28 February 2013.
Last month I wrote about the Transition Town Movement. This time I’m going to deal with two organizations that are also working to improve urban spaces so as to create more accessible and inviting frameworks for social and community life. Like all such organizations, they start with what exists now and imagine what could be.
The Project for Public Spaces (www.pps.org), founded in 1975, is dedicated to creating urban spaces that build a vital and nourishing sense of community. It originated in the work of William H. Whyte, a pioneer urbanist, journalist, and people- watcher.
PPS works with individuals and communities to create a vision of what their community could become. It developed the concept of placemaking, which is not just the act of building or fixing up a space but is in fact a whole process of fostering the creation of good public spaces that promote people’s health, happiness, and well-being, the kinds of spaces that increase public involvement in the appearance and use of their natural and built environment.
It recognizes that improved public spaces promote health – walkable streets encourage walking rather than driving – and a general sense of well-being and feeling connected to a place. By encouraging the increased use of an urban space, they contribute to its safety.
It’s possible to see many of the PPS principles and practices in what is happening in urban design and planning. For instance, the consultations that are part of the Stratford Bike and Pedestrian Master Plan draw on the opinions and experiences of people living in Stratford and interested in improving its urban design and functioning. Consultation with the local people, the users or potential users of the space, is a vital element of the work that PPS does.
Another organization working in this field is the Better Block Project (http://betterblock.org). The “Better Block” team works with local individuals and community organizations to imagine how a particular space could be improved. Then, on the basis of that, it helps to install temporary amenities to demonstrate what could be done. The temporary amenities include potted trees, benches, and sidewalk tables. They might involve temporary narrowing of the street so as to provide wider pedestrian space and/or a bike lane, or simply more social outdoor space. The temporary installation could include pop-up restaurants and retail outlets, and the whole project will encourage the existing businesses to reach out to passers-by and create a greater sense of openness and accessibility.
The temporary nature of the installation means that everyone can experiment, tinker, and dream big dreams. They can express their vision in physical terms without – yet – having to put a shovel in the ground. By showing what is possible, and by measuring success, each project provides hard information for city authorities considering change.
BBP also runs workshops in which the participants learn everything from designing the installation and get planning approval to evaluating its successes and failures.
These organizations provide us in Stratford with examples that are both interesting and useful. They articulate the ideals that drive Stratford’s Market Square Project and the many people here who would like to preserve and enhance our downtown’s potential to be a great people place and the core of the city’s public life.
We have in fact been doing the kind of thing that both of these organizations foster. The Sunday Slow Food Market that is now a very welcome feature of the Market Square in the summer shows how the area can attract customers and visitors. The tables-and-chairs, the music, the availability of delicious snack food and drink, all make the Market a destination and suggest ways in which a revitalized Market Square could function. It is, in fact, a kind of pop-up.
Other events such as the food truck gathering last summer, and the use of the Square during “Savour Stratford”, also indicate that we are already working in line with the ideals and practices of these organizations.
We are in fact part of a very wide movement that’s imagining cities that will be healthier, greener, and more people-friendly, that will be more attractive to residents and visitors alike.
Both organizations – and the Market Square Project and other organizations and individuals in Stratford – start from the understanding that cities are where most of us live nowadays and that it is sensible to make those cities as healthy and safe, as livable and lovable, as possible.
Brandis has lived in Stratford since 1996 and is a full-time writer. She is the author of a number of books – visit Marianne's website