People's Choice

These are the places we remember most vividly, the places where serendipitous things happen, the places we tell stories about.

Browse through over 600 public spaces to see what makes places great--and why each one is unique. While you're here, you can nominate your own favorites or add to the Hall of Shame.


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Picture of City Plaza

City Plaza
Raleigh, NC, USA
by: Jonathan Hawkins


Recent Comments

Here's what people are saying about...

Pershing Square:

(02/21/10 by julie talbott)
We live in a repurposed Deco building that faces Pershing Square. It is interesting to read the thread of comments posted about this locale because they are targeting a specific issue pertinent to the moment written. Downtown has made a one-eighyt for those of you that haven't been here recently; had someone told me even a year ago that I would be living in the heart of the place, I would have laughed. Some things actually change for the better. Unfortunately the 2000 design by Legoreta is not one of them. How and why he won the competition for this (yes, there was a competition in which a dozen or so submitted their vision for the square.) is baffling. We look at the square every day and attempt to put ourselves in the mind of this designer and are baffled. There is no flow whatsoever to the grid. It is uninviting and stagnant. An obnoxious unused yellow outbuilding in the north quadrant needs to go. The tower is the biggest headache. It is a pointless monolith that serves no apparant purpose, aesthetically or functionally. The place needs to be rethought and redone. But to those of you that feel the place is nothing but a magnet for the homeless, this has changed. There are now concerts at the park on a regular basis, ice skating in the winter, a weekly farmer's market on Wednesday and many, many local residents walking their four-legged family members through the trees and lawn continuously. So there is new life coming into the square. When you look at the old photos of the place from the teens, it was an actual urban gathering spot. Sure, it will always be used as a "shortcut" but walking under trees past the beautiful Biltmore hotel is an evocative step into another era that should be cherished. "
Parc de la Villette:

(02/16/10 by bo sun)
I have not been to Parc de la Villette and thus can't judge one way or the other. But I appreciate PPS's criticism especially for its courage considering that all of the trailing commentators are against it. I belong to the type that is generally suspicious of design born of "big ideas" but not ingenuity. Let me use Michelangelo as an example to illustrate what I mean. His work David as many of his other works demonstrated not only his skills as a craftsman, but also his profound dedication to the pursuit of beauty that is intrinsic to human race. In that, he had differentiated himself without being different. I have seen too many designers whose talents are only demonstrated through being different. I am not implying that to Bernard Tschumi the designer of the park. I actually am interested in hearing comments on why the park is a great place other than being unique, thus "not boring"."
Imam Square:

(02/09/10 by sara ameri)
as other friends mentioned its name is "naghshe jahan square" or "shah squre" because it was built at the supervision and order of shah abbas at sfavieh period.so i suggest you to turn its title to the main and correct one as" naghshe jahan " square"
Imam Square:

(02/03/10 by suffi misaki)
Isfahan “We were glad when they said to us, “Let us go to the naghsh e jahan SQ! Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Isfahan! Isfahan, built as a city which is bound firmly together, to which the fascinating go up, the fascinating of the all Iran, as we decreed for Iran, to give thanks to the name of the Iran”. I have found this reasonable comment abour Esfahan Imam Sq at http://www.irtouring.com "
Washington Square, San Francisco:

(01/21/10 by matt frank)
It is a great open space, but almost any open space there would work. I think the park could be better utilized since that area of the city has such a high density. Halprin is great but it is due for a redesign."
Esther Short Park:

(01/14/10 by john robinson)
thanks for such a nice article..it is really awesome.. ======================================== albert pinto vancouver flowers"
Roads along the Seine:

(01/14/10 by Rachel Stewart)
Too true. Yet to be there in summer for Paris Plage is such a treat. It was in part designed to benefit those who don't or can't leave the city during the annual mass vacation madness, and besides, all those cars are also on vacation. So the quai-side is once again given over to the people for 6 or 7 weeks. More than chaises and sand and umbrellas, there are entertainers, musicians, jugglers, mimes. Although getting cars permanently off the quais is an uphill struggle, the sudden popularity of the rental Velos [bikes] is very promising."
West Side Market:

(12/31/09 by Laura Taxel)
I am working on a book about the West Side Market. I'd like to connect with people who have memories of shopping or working there; whose families are part of the place's history; and anyone who has photos taken there that they are willing to share. Please email me: laurataxel@ameritech.net"
Camden Town:

(12/04/09 by Nigel Spencer)
Great stuff in Camden Lock Market: got CD collection of all Rolling Stones singles at a great price!"
Boulevard Saint Laurent:

(12/03/09 by Shawn Goldwater)
Murray's a respected figure in the Montreal film scene but his comment "In Vieux Montreal, narrow cobblestone streets teeming with tourists give way to the low rise storefront architecture of the Plateau with some of the best restaurants and bars in town." may be a little misleading. In fact, the cobblestoned section gives way to pavement a loooong way before the Plateau begins. Let's see: first you've got the no-man's land part over the highway, then Chinatown, then the about to be gentrified Red Light district, then you're Plateau-bound. "