Project for Public Spaces » Tom Peyton

Tupelo, MS to Get a Dose of Placemaking

Tom Peyton — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:22:32 +0000

It’s official! Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association will be the site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Project for Public Spaces’ Placemaking Demonstration Project. A team of placemakers from the Trust’s National Main Street Center and PPS will travel to Tupelo to help this community capitalize on the assets that already exist on their Main Street. The project will engage a wide range of Tupelo stakeholders, community members and the Department of Transportation to enliven its Main Street corridor, a state highway which links downtown to the birthplace of Elvis Presley and other public spaces and local destinations. This Placemaking Demonstration Project is the next step in an ongoing Placemaking partnership between the National Main Street Center and PPS.

Tupelo seeks to connect existing destinations on their Main Street.

Currently, downtown Tupelo has a number of desirable attractions but these individual elements are not integrated to create a vibrant district. Sections of wide roadways downtown alienate pedestrians and bikers, limiting multimodal mobility in the area. The outcomes of the project will focus on providing Tupelo residents and officials with new tools to create streets as places and link destinations throughout the downtown. Tupelo is but one of many American towns struggling to create a sense of Place along Main Street. Both PPS and the National Trust hope that the lessons learned from this pilot program will serve to inspire Placemaking across the country.

The heart of the project will be a 2-day Placemaking workshop centered on a four-block section of downtown Tupelo which has seen increased truck traffic, higher traffic speed, and growing concerns about pedestrian safety. Working collaboratively with Mississippi’s Department of Transportation, the project will demonstrate new opportunities to engage state DOT’s and local Main Street programs.

The Placemaking Demonstration Project will help balance modes of transportation downtown.

But the training doesn’t stop with Tupelo. To enable communities around the state to benefit from the principles presented in the 2-day training, PPS and Mississippi Main Street Association will host a Placemaking training program for managers of its 49 programs across the state. With Tupelo as a case study, the State Main Street Association as well as the local programs will be equipped to apply Placemaking principles to their own projects.

Local press is already buzzing about the announcement!

Places In the News: Transportation for the People

Tom Peyton — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:14:16 +0000

"Nice Ride Minnesota" bike share program in Minneapolis

The momentum continues to grow in communities around the world to establish biking, walking and public transportation as essential components of a healthy transportation network. The more that different modes of transportation are balanced on urban, suburban, and rural roads and streets, the more that these streets become multi-use places where traffic slows and community interaction increases. From inventive protests in rural England to opportunities for the public to weigh in with their own ideas about how to shape our transportation networks, creating equitable, safe ways to get around has been a hot topic this month.

-Minneapolis recently launched Nice Ride Minnesota, a bike share program focused on increasing residents options for getting around the city. Ultimately, increased biking will be integrated into a system of increased walking and public transportation use.

-The Vancouver area is thinking through how best to accommodate the elderly through the design of their transportation network. Once people reach an age where they must give up driving, they still need to be able to move around the city. How can we tie land use and transportation decisions in ways that create easy connections between destinations?

-Slate is hosting an ideas competition called Nimble Cities which asks for the public-at-large to offer their ideas about how we can better connect destinations within cities and connect cities to each other. Check out everyone’s submission and submit your own ideas!

-In Chideock, England, Tony Fuller has taken traffic calming into his own hands. Fed up with cars speeding through his small village, he decided to continually push the pedestrian crossing button for the crosswalk that runs across the main road, slowing cars and creating serious congestion. Will this spawn a national movement?

Drake Garden Helps Chicagoans Get Their Hands Dirty

Tom Peyton — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:11:21 +0000

Since publishing The Great Neighborhood Book, we have continued to receive inspiring stories about how people are creating places in their communities. We plan to share these stories periodically on our blog.

Volunteers get to work at Drake Garden.

For over a decade, Drake Garden has been giving Chicago residents the opportunity to get their hands dirty and get to know their neighbors. Located in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago, the garden offers a green, outdoor sanctuary that attracts people from all over the city, whether to work or relax in the garden.

In the 90s, the community decided that a vacant lot that was formerly the site of a synagogue could be put to a better use. Motivated and engaged community members created the Drake Garden Volunteers and worked to turn the lot into a community garden. NeighborSpace, a Chicago-based non profit that supports community-based gardens and open spaces, helped the Albany Park residents secure the land for the garden. NeighborSpace primarily works with community groups that have already established parks or gardens so that the land can be owned by an existing non-profit and can be protected against future redevelopment.

Drake Garden and the work of NeighborSpace help illustrate one of the core tenets of Placemaking: the community is the expert. Community residents did not need outside “experts” to decide what would be the best use of the land that became the garden. Residents took action and created a thriving public space. The garden has been a true success by acting as a community anchor that brings together neighbors who had never even met before in the middle of a dense, ethnically diverse neighborhood.

Local youth love using the Garden as well.

A large sign at the gardens’ entrance increases the site’s presence on N. Drake St. In the garden, there is a board describing the history of the garden as well as a community bulletin board where residents can post information about upcoming events and gatherings. This creates a means for community connection outside of working in the garden together. Drake Garden is divided into smaller zones with distinct plants and features in each area of the garden. Trees, flowers, shrubs, and open space mingle to create a lush, green environment. Recognizing that maintaining interest in a long-term, community project is hard, programming is a central concern for the Drake Garden Volunteers. The garden hosts such events as block parties and rummage sales in order to make sure that residents have as many reasons as possible to get engaged with the garden.

Drake Gardens also partners with Chicago Cares in order to get volunteers engaged with the work at the garden. This serves as an opportunity for residents from different parts of the city get to work together on a community-focused project. Chicago Cares helps engaged residents in the Chicago area find volunteer opportunities focused on addressing various communities’ most pressing needs.

NeighborSpace recently produced a video depicting a day of work at the garden that took home the Grand Prize in Placemaking Chicago’s What Makes Your Place Great? Contest, covered here on Making Places in September. Placemaking Chicago is a partnership between PPS and the Chicago region Metropolitan Planning Council focused on increasing the reach of Placemaking principles in Chicago. With over 8,000 individual votes cast in the contest, a winning photo and video were named in both the People’s Choice and Grand Prize categories. Amy Roth’s photo of Phillips Park and Ami Shah’s video of the Shops of Long Grove earned them both the People’s Choice Award. Along with NeighborSpace’s video profiling Drake Garden, Sylvia Ortega’s photo of Bush Community Garden of Hope also took home the Grand Prize. Be sure to take a look at the Bush Community Garden of Hope photo on flickr which includes some background on how the Garden got started and how it continues to be a tremendous community asset. Much like Drake Gardens, it is a great example of a community coming together for the sake of improving their neighborhood. The success of the Bush Community Garden of Hope also highlights the importance of effective partnerships as they are working not only with NeighborSpace but also local stakeholders such as the local Homeowners’ and Tenants’ Association and local businesses.

Check out the other winning photos and videos at Placemaking Chicago’s website. You can also browse all of the photo and video entries for the contest.

Have you been a part of a Great Neighborhood Project? Email us your story for use in future profiles. tpeyton (at) pps.org

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Central Market Hall (Budapest, Hungary)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:09:46 +0000

What: A gorgeous, covered market that dates to the turn of the 20th century and is a focal point for city life.

Why it Works: The spectacular building has been lovingly renovated and sits in all its glory just steps from the Danube on the Pest side, at the foot of the Liberty Bridge (itself a lovely structure). Not only is it beautiful, it is completely wheelchair accessible. Plenty of local people shop for their daily fare here undaunted by the hundreds of tourists roaming up and down the aisles. The second floor contains the handicrafts and souvenirs so dear to visitors hearts: embroidery, leather work, hand-carved chess sets, matruska dolls from Russia. The lower level is devoted to food – there are aisles of fresh vegetables, stands of fowl and meat, a couple of shops with wine and liquor. The only problem a guest faces is trying to choose from the salami, strings of red peppers and packets of saffron. Far in the back, a few small farmers come in from the country with honey, peppers and fresh berries in season.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: The Forks (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:59:35 +0000

What: A former industrial area that has been redeveloped to promote outdoor activity in both summer and winter – important in a northern city like Winnipeg.

Why it Works: This community place is used year round for gathering and recreation. In the summer there are concerts and markets and lots of greenspace. In the winter, once the river is frozen, the City prepares the ice for ice skating (originating at the forks), curling rinks and sleigh rides. The Forks promotes outdoor activity both in the summer and winter. The Forks originally was an industrial area of the city. Once it was no longer used industrially, the city redeveloped the area for community interaction. The buildings (old train stations) were turned into markets and the river had a walkway developed along it. It is also a historical site with museums, a childrens’ museum and other creative spaces. The nice thing is that it is a success story: people in the 1980′s didn’t expect it to work, and it has.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

GREAT PUBLIC SPACE: Ver-o-peso Market (Belem, Para, Brazil)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:39:06 +0000

What: A permanent market on the Amazon River with over 2000 tents.

Why it Works: The Ver-o-peso market is amazing market located on the Amazon River. It is on a very large-scale with more than 2000 tents. It is a historical site, and was recently renewed. Located in the city centre, on the margins of Guajará Bay, it is accessible by the people who come from the nearby islands by boat. The place is full of life, densely occupied with people and products from the Amazon. The fish market, a steel construction imported from Glasgow in 1901, is the most memorable image of the city. The market is open from 4:00am to 15:00pm. People from all social classes use the market. It is where they buy traditional products from the Amazon. The people here are very friendly, although there are a few pick pockets.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Esplanade Park (Helsinki, Finland)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:27:16 +0000

What: A boulevard-like park in the city centre.

Why it Works: Esplanade Park in the centre of Helsinki consists of two active streets – Northern and Southern Esplanade – and a longitudinal, boulevard-like park between them. The park is built on east-west direction, so the sun shines nicely on the park throughout the day. The park is centrally located, and can be considered as the borderline between the most active commercial centre and the more peaceful, southern part of the city. At the east, the park ends at a fountain, behind which opens up the view to the market square of Helsinki and the sea. At the western end the Esplanade green space is closed by the Swedish theatre, behind which runs the busiest street in the centre of Helsinki. The theatre building acts as a wall blocking the traffic noise, so the Esplanade Park is at the same time both close to the busy city and a calm resort.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

Places in the News: August 31, 2009

Tom Peyton — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:30:23 +0000

The latest in urban planning, placemaking and citizen action:

- The Toronto Public Space Committee advocates for the corner of one of the city’s busiest intersections to be turned into a public plaza [The Star.com]

- Meg Walker and Cynthia Nikitin take part in helping the Bayshore community envision their cultural district [Naples News]

- This summer, Paul Kronenberg rode every inch of New York City’s bike paths [City Room]

- America’s 10 best places to grow up, according to US News and World Report [USnews.com]

- The Northhampton Agricultural Commission establishes a farmers market committee in response to the rapidly growing number of markets in the area [Gazettenet.com]

- A bus stop swing makes waiting just a little more fun [Dvice]

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Dane County Farmers Market (Madison, WI)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:06:58 +0000

What: Situated in the heart of Madison, a market whose fame extends well beyond the city.

Why it Works: On Saturdays this market surrounds the Capitol Square. The vendors are friendly Wisconsin growers. On Wednesdays the market is on a street that runs from the Square to the Monona Terrace. The Capitol Square is on the isthmus in Madison. There are parking garages near the market, but many people either walk or bike to the market. Capitol Square is connected to the University of Wisconsin by State street. State Street provides additional shopping – clothing, music, restaurants, etc. – and traffic is restricted to buses and commercial delivery vehicles. Everybody shops here. It is clean and beautiful – summer in Madison, Wisconsin is amazing and green. The setting of the market around the Capitol building is idyllic. During the market the area is really dominated by pedestrians and cyclists. Vendors sell cheese (goat cheese, cheese curds, and more), produce (every apple you can imagine in the fall), flowers, poultry, fish, bread, nuts, jams, honey, and more. The crowd is as diverse as Madison – you will see many families, college students, and even politicians.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

Places in the News: August 24, 2009

Tom Peyton — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:58:49 +0000

The latest in urban planning, placemaking and citizen action:

- Massachusetts is going to make its transportation data available to software developers in an effort to make the state’s transportation system more user-friendly [Washington Examiner]

- Houston’s City Council takes steps to create walkable places near light rail stops [Chron.com]

- LA celebrates 30 years of Farmers Markets [LAist]

- Central Florida small towns cope with high-speed roads running through their downtowns [Orlando Sentinel]

- Kids lead the way on making a swimming pool the centerpiece of a planned park in Irrigon, OR [East Oregonian]

- More food for thought in the private-influence-in-public-space conversation, focusing on advertising [Infrastructurist]

- Sand in the City in Olympia, WA brings beach fun to the center of the city [The News Tribune]

- Chicagoans, be sure to vote for your favorite place in the city in Placemaking Chiacgo’s “What Makes Your Place Great?” contest [Placemaking Chicago]

- A look at downtown Cheyenne, WY and the role of the local Downtown Development Authority in its recent development [WyomingNews.com]

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Asafra Beach (Alexandria, Egypt)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:51:45 +0000

What: Egyptians say “Alexandria is Asafra”: the beach that runs parallel to the city’s main street.

Why it Works: Asafra is a long beach that is shaped in waves so that as you are walking, the road appears to end; yet you are surprised to see another wave still ahead of you. You can see the sunset quite clearly from each wave. Some important buildings like the Alexandria Library are located across from the beach. The interesting thing about Asafra is that although it is a very long and not very fancy or designed, it is always full of life and people all day long until late at night. If you decide to take a walk, you may be surprised to find that you have walked for hours without noticing. Maybe it is the many places to sit down and relax, or the different items you can buy from all the carts that are scattered along the beach. Perhaps it’s the Egyptian people who are full of life and enthusiasm. It’s just a place where you may lose track of time.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

Places in the News: August 17, 2009

Tom Peyton — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:38:10 +0000

The latest in urban planning, placemaking and citizen action:

- Culturally booming downtown LA celebrates with its own film festival [MovieMaker]

- A Washington, DC bike-parking center could help increase safety for bike commuters [Washington Post]

- Johannesburg prepares to open its BRT offering free rides [News24]

- In Kansas City, local parks reap the benefits of robust public-private partnerships [MidwestVoices]

- A new public plaza in Seoul experiences growing pains [Korea Herald]

- NYC’s Dept. of Buildings is hosting a competition to rethink construction scaffolding, potentially having a huge impact on how New Yorkers experience sidewalks and streets [City Room]

- Speakers at a transportation seminar in Jakarta advocate for understanding roads as public space and increasing public transportation options in the city [Jakarta Post]

- Are you living in one of the top US cities for saving money through public transit? [Examiner.com]

- A study highlights the popularity of smoking bans in public spaces [PostStar]

- Good is holding a competition to redesign your farmers market [Good]

Transmilenio: From People-Mover to People-Connector

Tom Peyton — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:24:33 +0000

Bogota's Transmilenio is leading a transformation in urban mobility, but can it do more to transform urban places?

By Tom Peyton and Ethan Kent

Bogota’s Transmilenio Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) has been receiving a lot of attention recently. PPS was actually touring Transmilenio headquarters (while there to speak at a conference) the morning the New York Times featured the system on its front page. Bogotá has a history of implementing innovative public projects throughout the city including its Ciclovia program, hundreds of great new parks and widened sidewalks and pedestrian-only streets. These improvements, many initiated during the same three years as Transmilenio by then Mayor Enrique Penalosa and his brother Guillermo (Gil), have created a more civil and vibrant city.

While the positive aspects of Transmilenio as a model are significant and easily transferable, our many trips to Bogotá (and several other cities in Latin America where BRT has been implemented) have also shown that there is still great opportunity for BRT to shape development, create public destinations, spur economic vitality and support social activity. The areas along the Transmilenio lines, and particularly around the stations, are not yet meeting their full potential to help create and connect places where people want to be.

"Transmilenio" was chosen because it sounds sexier than "Bus".

Transmilenio’s manifold benefits need to be stated, as it has fundamentally changed how the residents of Bogotá are capable of moving around the city. By dedicating multiple lanes exclusively to buses along major thoroughfares throughout the city, the integrated system has created an attractive public transportation option that has drawn in new riders and drastically decreased travel time for existing users. In some cases, commutes that used to take 2 to 3 hours now take 40 minutes. The impact of Transmilenio on Bogotanos’ quality of life is fundamental. Since its opening in 2001, the system has made a transformative contribution to energy efficiency and the environment. As mentioned in the New York Times piece, Transmilenio has helped reduce the amount of bus fuel used in the city by 59% over the period it has been operating.

Generalized benefits of Bus Rapid Transit include:
•   lower construction cost, as much as only 1/5th of light rail and 1/20th the cost of subways;
•   ease of incremental implementation;
•   faster loading and travel times that allow more frequent service and higher speeds than regular bus service;
•   the option to leave the guideway thereby offering scheduling and routing flexibility;
•   capacity advantages over regular buses and street cars;
•   compatibility with intraregional service, acting as a potential bridge between local service and regional service.

Transmilenio facilities are modern, clean and efficient, but could be nicer places to be.

Along with BRT’s ability to achieve these efficiencies in mobility, BRT can do more for riders and the communities that BRT systems serve and intersect. The spaces that the public uses to get on and off Transmilenio buses could become vibrant places with small additions of amenities and programming. Waiting platforms, overpass walkways and areas where passengers get picked up by cars are focused on system efficiency rather than human comfort, social interaction or flourishing commerce. There is great potential for these numerous points throughout Transmilenio to become community and retail hubs that further reduce the need for car trips and make the city significantly more compatible with walking and other modes of transit.

An average of 1.5 million Bogota residents take part in the city's weekly Ciclovia event.

A testament to Bogota’s resourceful use of public space and the latent demand for their use, Ciclovia succeeds every Sunday in creating active and engaging public spaces. Ciclovias have been a part of life in Bogota since the 70s but the event took its current form in the mid-90s. Every Sunday and all holidays, 70 miles of roads usually dominated by automobile traffic are closed to cars from 7am to 2pm. The streets are flooded with cyclists and pedestrians moving freely about the city. Along the route of Ciclovia there are various activity destinations including free exercise classes and vendors selling food and drinks.

Similar to how city decision-makers have added visionary programming to already existing large-scale urban infrastructure with Ciclovia, there is the potential to improve the vast public spaces of Transmilenio. Transmilenio stops and their surrounding areas are more than simply areas for moving. They are social focal points where residents from all over the city come in contact with one another and share a common experience.

Where Transmilenio connects to the street can be some of the city's best public spaces.

PPS has utilized Placemaking strategies to work on train stations and bus stops around the world but has not yet had the opportunity to work on BRT systems. In applying Placemaking to BRT systems, questions might include:
•   Can platforms become more comfortable for waiting?
•   Can retail opportunities on the platforms, along walkways and at entry plazas make the system safer and more engaging while bringing in new revenue sources and serving the needs of riders?
•   Can station and roadway design help create boulevards that reduce the impact of traffic and improve pedestrain accessibility (as accomplished with non pre-boarding versions of BRT in Paris, France and Eugene, OR)?

The plazas and streets of Transmilenio are ready to become great places.

One relevant project we worked on was in Santiago, Chile, where a series of empty and unfriendly plazas around a busy transit station were transformed into one of the best new public squares in Latin America. Marcello Corbo (who was also in Bogota on PPS’ recent visit) and Rodrigo Jullian, co-founders of Urban Development, worked with the city and local stakeholders to invest significantly in these public spaces while also achieving significant returns from the implementation of adjacent retail. As Corbo observed in Bogota, many of the Transmilenio stops could benefit from a similar transformation.

What other strategies can help turn BRT stops into places for community engagement? How can BRT be leveraged to shape growth, create places and tame streets while still creating the efficiency and mobility gains it is known for?

For more background, watch the Streetfilms pieces that PPS helped to coordinate on Transmilenio and Ciclovia as well as a video on further lessons from Bogota.

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Buchanan Street (Glasgow, Scotland, UK)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:18:14 +0000

What: Scotland’s principal shopping street, and the heart of Glasgow.

Why it Works: Buchanan Street has been Glasgow’s premier street for the past two centuries and is an integral part of the fabric of Glasgow’s historic city centre. With its richly ornamented Victorian and Edwardian commercial buildings as a backdrop, Buchanan Street is Glasgow’s grandest promenade. Along its length it contains numerous shops, two arcades, two major shopping centers, a museum and library, and a design centre. The entrance to the city’s main concert hall both terminates the street’s axis and helps turn the corner into Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow’s other main shopping artery. The street is pedestrianized and attracts numerous visitors. There are several intersecting routes and public spaces, which offer a variety of activities. There are regular displays of street theatre and a monthly farmers market. In 2003 it was voted Scotland’s favorite street in a BBC / CABE poll. In summer 2004 it was awarded a Congress for New Urbanism award for excellence.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

Places in the News: August 10, 2009

Tom Peyton — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:09:50 +0000

The latest in urban planning, placemaking and citizen action:

- A Blue Movement: New York City residents fight for meaningful community input in waterfront projects [Gotham Gazette]

- A proposed Willamette River bridge could alleviate tensions between cyclists and pedestrians [OregonLive]

- Winners in the America’s Favorite Farmers Market competition are announced [Drovers]

- One traffic cop knows how to have a good time while she’s on the job [NY Daily News]

- Collier County community members are undertaking an expansive project to rethink the potential of their community [NaplesNews]

- A recently approved Hudson River Park development will use shipping containers for materials and focus on renting retail space to local artists [ArchDaily]

- New York City kicked off another successful season of Summer Streets events [Streetsblog]

- The top 20 finalists are announced in Inhabitat’s Reurbia competition [Inhabitat]

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Mission Dolores Park (San Francisco, CA)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:41:58 +0000

What: A public park known for its views.

Why it Works: Mission Dolores Park is a beautiful eight-square block park nestled on a hillside with broad sweeping views of downtown San Francisco and the Bay Area skyline to the northeast. Located directly in between famous Castro Street in The Castro, and Valencia Street in The Mission, Dolores park is also only a few blocks from bustling Market street. Accessible by light rail on the F and J lines, Dolores Park is also walking distance from the BART, multiple MUNI and bus lines, and the Haight Ashbury neighborhood. Dolores park is right in the middle of the cultural and social center of San Francisco. Although the park is quite heavily used on sunny days, the grass is in good shape, and the crowd doesn’t feel like a deterrent. There are benches bordering the park and scattered throughout, but most people prefer to sit on the sloped ground which faces the northeast with beautiful far reaching views on the Bay Area. The park features a few basketball and tennis courts and a playground. There is loads of open space and it is not uncommon to see young people throwing a frisbee, or dogs chasing balls. The park is happily shared by families and twenty and thirty somethings at all hours of the day. The park is surrounded by some of the best cafes the city has to offer and is an excellent place to bring a cup of coffee and a croissant with the morning paper.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Akademgorodok, Siberia (Russia)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:24:22 +0000

Photo: Akademgorodok: Town of Science in Siberia. 1995.

What: A pedestrian-oriented, academic oasis in the midst of the vast Siberian taiga.

Why it Works: Despite the Siberian cold (and Soviet planners), Akademgorodok is a robust pedestrian community. The town is home to dozens of academic institutions and the University of Novosibirsk. What really sets this town apart from others, in terms of public spaces, is its network of well-used pedestrian paths. These trails are the sinewy arteries of this vibrant town. They are an organic part of the landscape. The wide streets are busy twice a day with cars and buses slipping and sliding along the ice. The trails, by contrast, are almost always buzzing with activity. The pedestrian paths also link the town with surrounding destinations: the beach at the Ob Sea, the woods (for berry picking and mushroom gathering), and even nearby villages. Another neat aspect of the trails is that, since there are so many, you can choose from the many different ways to get from point A to point B. Stores, houses, offices and playgrounds are scattered in places, clustered in others, but they are all within walking distance. The paths are not where you plan to meet, they are the places where you run into familiar people by happenstance, which makes meeting friendly faces all the more enjoyable.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space!

Williamsburg Walks: Rethinking Public Spaces

Tom Peyton — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:41:17 +0000

By Ken Farmer and Tom Peyton

In NYC, street closures for pedestrians, activities and celebrations are becoming increasingly more commonplace. With normally ever-present automobiles absent, pedestrians are free to walk and play in the streets, meeting one another for shopping, dining and conversation.

Unlike traditional street closures surrounding a specific event (e.g., Bastille Day on Smith Street in Brooklyn), Williamsburg Walks — one of NYC’s most popular street events –was created simply to allow the community to define the identity of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn between North 4th to North 9th Streets. This experimental approach was intended to enable the community to reconceive its relationship with Williamsburg’s bustling central avenue as a place for eating, dancing, creating and observing art, relaxing and much more.

Revelers play music and sell goods. Photo Credit: Aurash Khawarzad

The series of yearly closures began June 13th this year. On Saturday, July 11th — the last event of the summer — Bedford was packed with revelers as each block took on an identity of its own. Vendors sold books, records and various oddities. Bands played music without the help of electricity. Artists smashed pianos and spread Yves Klein blue paint around canvasses. Civic groups shared information with concerned residents and those visiting the neighborhood.

Armed with Twister, sidewalk chalk and a hunger for 4-square, PPS staff spoke with lots of people strolling up and down Bedford Ave. First, we asked patrons to map their favorite spaces in the neighborhood and those with the greatest opportunity for improvement. We also asked the community what kind of activities they would like to do in their public spaces. Not surprisingly, participants had several creative ideas about the neighborhood’s physical environment, programming in public spaces and changing social dynamics.

Thinking about the physical environment, people were excited about increasing the number of public activities that would allow them to interact with other people in the neighborhood. Several people wanted more places to sit, especially seats that they could move around and configure however they wanted. The desire for an outdoor swimming pool came up a fair amount, and many attendees were aware of the current plan to reopen McCarren pool as a functioning swimming pool.

People were concerned about the disruptive nature of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway running through the neighborhood and wondered if creating parks and increasing greenspace under and around the freeway would improve current conditions. There were also many unique ideas for highly interactive projects including outdoor rock climbing walls, sculpture parks, ziplines between buildings and litebrite walls!

Priti Patel talks with an engaged resident. Photo Credit: Aurash Khawarzad

Community and rooftop gardens were also a hot topic. The high number of vacant lots in the area had people talking about reclaiming the spaces and turning them into communal vegetable gardens and green space. Referencing Greenpoint’s flourishing Rooftop Farms, residents were looking up and imagining green roofs that could provide the neighborhood with fresh, local produce. Food was very much on people’s minds. Among calls for new types of cuisine in the area, there was also interest in communal dinners and potlucks. These ideas dovetail well with community gardens as ideal spaces to hold community dinners.

People were focused on how to improve waterfront access and had a host of ideas relating specifically to East River State Park. Suggested improvements to the Williamsburg waterfront included building piers, boardwalks and artificial beaches. Residents also offered creative ideas for increasing programming such as kayaking and fishing. Concerts are being held in East River State Park this summer but the fate of the concert series in future summers is uncertain.

Participants generated several ideas about programming for the neighborhood in general as well. People were enjoying the Williamsburg Walks experience so much that they wanted regular, year-round street closures including a possible expansion of the streets closed during Williamsburg Walks. Many were interested in an increase of participatory sports and physical activities including kickball, capture the flag, four-square and yoga. Events for kids and improving the conditions of the neighborhood’s playgrounds were also popular ideas. The concerts at the waterfront are a great start but local residents wanted even more live, outdoor music throughout the neighborhood. Outdoor movies were also a popular idea.

Williamsbug Walks on Bedford Ave. Photo Credit: Aurash Khawarzad

Most residents were aware of the changing nature of the neighborhood and the fact that so many new types of people are moving into Williamsburg. Longtime residents of the neighborhood were concerned about new residents appropriately integrating into the existing community. Late-stage gentrification typified by new real estate development in the area was a concern for residents both new and old. It was obvious that everyone on the street was aware that Williamsburg is in a state of flux and that what happens right now will have a big impact on the future of the neighborhood. Community board involvement was suggested as a means of creating meaningful connections between new and old residents, educating the community as a whole about where they live, and providing a forum for collective action.

By putting the concerns of pedestrians ahead of the concerns of motorists, Bedford Ave became a space for new community interactions. Williamsburg Walks succeeded in filling the street with an engaged group of people.

Check out PPS’ work on The New York City Streets Renaissance to learn more about how reclaiming streets for pedestrian use can help build community.

We would love to hear more about your experience of street closures in Williamsburg, or wherever your community may be.

GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Shinjuku Eki (Tokyo, Japan)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:54:18 +0000

What: A multi-use transfer point for all main lines of mass transit in Tokyo, this station is filled with people from 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day of the week.

Why it Works: The Japanese know how to use their valuable space efficiently. This is urban development at its best; you can go to one spot in the city and have a gazillion choices of activities to do. There are no dead spaces in this station. Every square foot of real estate has its function, including the locker areas, restrooms, police station, telephone booths, etc. The train station is open to all streets. Imagine a spider web with Shinjuku Station in the middle and Tokyo streets connected radially from it. You can access the station from many parts of the downtown. Wayfinding is easy, because there are signs every 10 feet, and the signs are in Japanese and English. You can do your shopping at the department stores right in the train station, or have a quick dinner at one of the take out soba places, or grab some toiletries at the small drugstores in the station. Shinjuku Station is one of the most common meeting places for people because it is the point where all trains in Tokyo converge, so it is convenient to use as a meeting place.

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Canatara Park (Sarnia, Canada)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:29:23 +0000

What: Over 200 acres of community park, with a shoreline along Lake Huron.

Why it Works: Canatara Park spans almost 85 acres, and sits on the edge of Lake Huron. The people in this area have always loved this park. The land was bought in the 1930′s with money from both the citizens of Sarnia and the municipal government. Over the years, the area has been developed, but always with a focus on the area’s environmental character (i.e., native plants, no hindrance to the native animal habitat, no carnival like developments). The park’s green space is phenomenal, and the beach is as well. The sports field consists of about 6 acres and provides facilities for all amateur sports. The park can be accessed from all areas- beach, woods, one roadway that curls through the park- but one must park the cars to access and walk to all areas available. The park is consistently used through all seasons, though at its height in the summertime. Being in Canatara Park reminds us of what nature truly offers us and how we must remain humble in its presence.

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Plaza Mayor (Merida, Mexico)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:20:24 +0000

What: A public square in the heart of Merida.

Why it Works: The Plaza Mayor is a major focal point of Merida taking up the size of one full city block and enclosed on four sides by two lane roads. The landscaping is a simple path system through various types of trees and bushes. There are many benches and low retention walls for sitting. Every Sunday is fair day in Merida. The paths are wide enough to support pedestrian traffic and vendors selling various foods and handicrafts. All roads are shut down within a block radius of the square. The festive atmosphere brings hundreds of local Merideños. There is even live music in the streets at night. People are able to move freely through the square at any time of the day. It often has people walking through after visits to the Cathedral or any of the fine Yucatanese restaurants that border it. At first look, you’ll notice the high amount of people that are circulating through the square. This is a comforting image to someone who is not familiar with the safe and social atmosphere that is present in the streets of Merida.

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GREAT PUBLIC SPACES: Pegram Park (Pegram, TN)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:48:14 +0000

What: A revitalized park at the heart of a small Tennessee town.

Why it Works: Although Pegram Park is small in size it serves as the center of the community for the town and the surrounding county. It hosts numerous events throughout the year, including 4th of July parades, Christmas in the park, little league, easter egg hunts, political forums and music events. It is what “makes” the town of Pegram, which has grown from a small rural town and has turned into a small bedroom community. The first and foremost issue the community is working toward is safety and accessibility for all. The park is a center for community in a county that has very few community hubs. Community partnerships and volunteers have come together to find funding to upgrade the park and maximize its potential. A non-profit partnership group named Friends of Pegram Park made up of volunteers and citizens have designed a master plan based off of community input, have written grants, are fundraising and are working together with local government to implement the plan. The spirit behind this project has certainly made citizens become more politically involved in a time of change for the area.

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Great Public Spaces: Art Street (Taichung County, Taiwan)

Tom Peyton — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 15:17:48 +0000

What: A vibrant shopping street with an effective traffic calming system, situated at the summit of Da Du Mountain and next to Dong Hai University.

Why it Works: Art Street in Taichung County is one of the most progressive areas for urban living in Taiwan. The street exemplifies urban planning focused on people-friendly living spaces. The narrow, one-way street with raised, cobbled intersections slows traffic enough to allow people to pleasantly walk along the street, encouraging a pedestrian friendly environment. The focus of the area is a small square, which at ground level is mostly occupied by coffee and gift shops and on the second level features art studios, galleries and small artisan workshops. On sunny days it is a popular meeting place for all the community, young and old. Children play in the square while adults sit on the steps and seats shaded by trees to chat. Local artists, musicians and dance groups often use the square for street performances. The local residents are proud of Art Street and encourage visitors from all around the city and the world.

Read the entire profile here.

Click here to nominate your favorite public space.