What is the Place Game?

Yogi Berra said "You can see a lot by observing," and that's where the Place Game comes in. The process starts by going to a public space with a trained facilitator. Maybe it's a green space, a park or a street corner. By watching and listening you begin to understand how that place is used and what it means to you and your neighbors. You decide what you like and what you don't like about the space. You brainstorm about what could make the place better.

What makes a Place Great?

The Place Game is based on the key factors that make a great public space. These factors were identified 30 years ago by William H. Whyte in his book, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Whyte noticed that, "What attracts people, it would appear, is other people." Therefore a central question in evaluating a place is "What is it that attracted the first person?" The answer is deceptively simple. The first person was attracted by:

You are in a successful place if you see:

A high proportion of people in groups
People go to a plaza is twos or threes, or, when they meet there, it's because they decided to go there in advance.

Higher than average proportion of women
Women are more discriminating about the spaces they use. They are generally more particular about seating and safety.

Different ages
This usually means that different groups of people who use the space at different times of the day. For example preschoolers, grandparents and elders may use a park during the day when others are working.

Varied activities
Successful places simple have more to do that doesn't require special equipment or facilities.

Affection
There is usually more kissing, hugging, handshakes and so forth in places where people feel comfortable.

How is the Place Game Played?

The Project for Public Spaces (PPS) created the Place Game to help communities evaluate their public places. PPS is a 25 year old non-profit organization that helps create and sustain public places that build communities. PPS also trained Omaha area volunteers and certified them to use the process.

We use a simple and systematic scheme to play the Place Game. First, we go to the site in teams of 3 to 6 people who are accompanied by a trained facilitator. We begin by looking, listening and walking around the space. Then we talk about it and make some decisions about how the place works based on the four criteria of, uses & activities, comfort and image, access & linkage and sociability.

To do this we use a simple form to guide our evaluation.	Then we begin thinking about ways to improve the place by brainstorming ideas as a group.

We then discuss and share our ideas with other Place Game groups and record our findings all guided by PPS staff and volunteers. You can see the results of several Place Game sessions around the country conducted by clicking on these links: