In Praise of Zealous Nuts

These are the impassioned citizens whose dedication to Placemaking brings vast improvements to their communities

By Fred Kent

We’ve seen a dramatic change recently in the way communities grow and improve themselves. You won’t hear much about it in the media or from the upper echelons of the design profession, but evidence of this new approach can be found almost everywhere else. Many towns and cities have transformed parks, downtowns and other crucial public spaces from derelict eyesores to lively gathering places beloved by local citizens. This is not the product of visionary planners, innovative developers or powerful politicians (although they helped) but by a new breed of engaged citizen we at PPS fondly call “zealous nuts.”

Years ago, when we began advising key decision makers, clients, and anyone else who would listen that they should entrust public spaces to zealous nuts-meaning people who were passionate about their communities-we were greeted with incredulous skepticism. There was great hesitation to empower people who seemed to care a little too much, and who may have had minimal expertise in planning, business or government. Why hand over authority to people who are not experts? That’s what local leaders wondered. They would probably just gum up the works with impractical ideas.

But that’s not how its works out in practice. “Zealous nuts” know more about the places where they live and work than anyone else, and therefore their ideas turn out to be most practical and valuable. They naturally engage in what PPS calls “Placemaking”–a new way of looking at public spaces that takes into account all the factors that make a successful place.

More and more developers, designers and leaders are now realizing that the success of a public project depends on the participation of the public itself. That seems obvious, but it took a long time for many decision makers to figure that out. We first began to notice this change of thinking here in PPS’s hometown, New York. An early sign was the successful turnaround of Central Park in the 1980s, spearheaded by Betsy Barlow Rogers. Her amazing work showed many leaders the importance of concerned citizens, who have the passion and persistence to ensure that promising initiatives are not undermined by bureaucratic red tape and the often misguided opinions of so-called experts. Betsy always talks about the importance of the “zealous nut” and made the phrase a badge of honor. In fact, she is a pioneering zealous nut herself.

The increase in the number and tenaciousness of zealous nuts all around the world over the past thirty years has greatly improved the way institutions make decisions regarding vital public places. More and more, public leaders are acknowledging and following the wisdom of non-experts. In fact, we are witnessing a true blurring of boundaries. Years ago there was often a clash between community-based efforts and local institutions, who often stood in the way of creativity and public participation. Today, however, many public officials, foundation leaders, and private businesspeople display all the qualities of zealous nuts themselves. Here are a few examples of how this change in thinking is making a difference all over the world. I think you’ll agree there’s never been a better time to be a zealous nut.

The Great Suburban Dream

Tomorrow’s suburbs will not resemble the sterile subdivisions we are familiar with today. We are now beginning to see the rebirth of many suburbs as genuine places with the pizzazz and congeniality we associate with the best urban neighborhoods. That’s because as they mature, suburban communities are more open to the zealous nuts in their midst. Look at Mississauga, Ontario, a city of 700,000 adjacent to Toronto, where a vital civic center is being created where previously a shopping mall had been the main attraction. The transformation of Mississauga’s City Hall and Central Library into a bustling “outdoor community center” was spearheaded with the ardent support of a core team of senior city staff who attended a PPS training workshop in New York, and who have since become advocates for community-based planning. In less than a year, 1000 city staff and local citizens have been trained in Placemaking. Mississauga has even established a new initiative called the “City for the 21st Century” that is managing a new program of events and activities in the civic center. More projects are being implemented with the intention of developing Mississauga as a city of great destinations, from the downtown center to its many diverse neighborhoods.

The Boom in Public Markets

We’re seeing an explosion of public markets in communities large and small. PPS announced a new round of grants in its influential Public Markets Program last May to help organizers increase their markets’ capacity to serve communities with fresh food and lively gathering places. This round of grants was awarded to farmers market networks and associations, a reflection of market operators’ growing sophistication and their ability to make change on a larger scale. What’s remarkable is the passionate belief in farmers markets as vehicles for broad-based social change expressed by all the grant applicants (both those who were awarded funds and those who weren’t). These people are transforming their communities. They are zealously pursuing new visions by forging partnerships with health organizations, community development groups, schools, and land trusts and reaching out to poor, immigrant and minority communities.

The Old College Try

Alumni, staff, students and community residents are now voicing their enthusiasm about making college campuses better public places. In a striking example of the new approach to campus-planning, Harvard University is working to use public spaces to bridge the town-gown divide. The school is actively partnering with residents of Allston, Massachusetts, as they undertake a major campus expansion in that community with new public spaces to be used by students and local residents alike.

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