Five Ways to a Great Place

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Kathy Madden explains why some parks, main streets, and other public spaces become alive with activity and fun, while others become magnets for crime or sit empty. Here are five qualities that divide a great place from the other kind.

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  • AR.RAJKUMAR VASWANI

    PUBLIC SPACES; A PAST OR FUTURE?
    IT WAS ENCOURAGING TO READ ABOUT HOW AN PUBLIC SPACE IS SUSTAINED, BUT TODAY WITH THE ONGOING COMMERCIALIZATION, WITH PRIVATIZATION OF LAND AND THE DEVELOPMENT NORMS THE PUBLIC OPEN SPACES ARE BECOMING A PART OF PRIVATE DOMAIN RATHAR THAN BEING THE CITY CHARACTER AT ANY GIVEN POINT OF TIME OF HISTORY. WITH THIS CONCERN HOW DO CITIES GET THERE OPEN PUBLIC SPACES BACK? HAS ANY POLICY BEEN FORMULATED WHICH GOES HAND IN HAND WITH THE PRIVATE DEVELOPERS AND THE PUBLIC SPACES?

  • Steve Dice

    to a Great Place article by Kathy Madden
    Madden accurately and effectively lists ways to a great place…in an urban context. It would seem then that the title would be more aptly written Five Ways to a Great Urban Place.

    We must remember that in the US at least most people live in suburban or rural areas. As a nation the number one outdoor activity (just over 50%) is viewing/interacting with nature/natural surroundings.

    It seems that what Madden defines as an attraction for a great place “it draws people in and enables them to relax, talk and watch people” partially depicts what we as a nation seek. It also partially contradicts what we seek.

    Yes we as a nation seek places to relax. The majority of visits however are a search for quiet, away from the hubbub, and away from concentrations of people.

  • http://www.zgf.com Shin-pei Tsay

    Suburban rural contexts too
    We forget the the tradition of small towns and rural areas. People living in suburbs and rural areas also need places to go to – to buy ice cream on a hot summer night, to borrow books from the library, to go to class. Those places don’t need to be huge and packed with people, but neither do they need to be spread out to the extent that cars are necessary. The “rules” that people follow in more suburban areas don’t allow for it, but rules are meant to be broken. The 5 principles get us on the way towards thinking about how to make those places great too.

  • Mark David

    5 Ways to a Great Place
    Kathy Madden’s article brought out an issue that I have always thought to be important to creating great spaces/places, the moveable chair. I have visited Paris several times and when there I always look forward to lounging in one of the great Paris parks with the moveable chairs. It may sound like a simplistic approach to creating a good space, but as a planner I love the simple solutions. The moveable chair gives the user of a place some say on how they want to use the space. Governmnt planners often have the tendency to want to move people into spaces like pieces in a puzzle. It may look good on the drawing board but often fails in the real world.

  • Pansy Siler

    Wasted public spaces
    Our city has a wealth of space for parks. At the moment all attention is focused on changing the politically incorrect names of the many pitiful excuses for parks that we have. There appears to be very little vision or creativity in park planning and design here. Yet we would like to be in a better economic situation. It would benefit us to investigate the impact of green space on a city as large as ours.
    Public spaces and green places are not just park benches in the middle of a field. Cities with great parks, offering diverse activities, attract tourists as well as local residents. Parks that tourists like are usually popular with families also and tend to maintain their cleanliness, and safety. Tourism aids business and the city as a whole. It is a win-win. Great cities all have great parks. Central Park (New York) is world famous. It just wouldn’t be the same without it. We have a great expanse of green in our city too but only the locals know it. It is largely underdeveloped and underenjoyed. I hope to change that.