Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

The Simple Ingredients of a Good Public Space

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by

James A. Bacon
in

nyc_street

What makes a good urban public space? It takes more than a plaza, which can be barren, inhospitable and desolate. The fountains, as shown here on Park Ave. in New York, are a definite bonus. But the critical ingredient is having somewhere to sit, even if it’s as simple as a set of shallow steps. I offer this example not because it is extraordinary in any way but because it is so totally ordinary. Cities and towns don’t have to spend millions of dollars on public art and landscaping. All they need is a vibrant street with lots of foot traffic and a place to eat lunch outside on a sunny spring day.

— JAB

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3 responses to “The Simple Ingredients of a Good Public Space”

  1. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    totally agree! also add some sunny and shady …

    but once again, you’ve given me the opportunity to ask you who will provide this space?

    Would we expect a private benefactor or an entrepreneur who charges a fee?

    or should the”govt” take money from people, force the owner to sell it and provide it a a “free” public space?

    these are important questions involved in today’s dialogue and debate about what “limited” govt is or is not or should be.

    In a libertarian world – that space would be “owned” the the owner would have “rights” – to not be taxed, to not have his land taken for others use and for he himself to offer “open space” services to customers who wanted such things.

    Mr. Risse – to his credit – never fan-danced this issue. It was and is a government responsibility.. to tax people, to take land, and to make that land available freely to others.

    how much “free space” would there be in any city – if all of it had to be privately-owned with an admission fee?

  2. LifeOnTheFallLine Avatar
    LifeOnTheFallLine

    I assume you’ve already read William Whyte’s City: Rediscovering the Center, but if not I would highly recommend it.

  3. larryg Avatar
    larryg

    In the Conservative version of “Smart Growth” what is the definition of a “public place” and how do they get created – and who maintains them?

    Second question – when we hear Conservatives speak of “limited government” – does that mean that government should not be in the business of creating “public” places?

    it would seem to me that the definition of “public place” implies a government role.

    Now there ARE places that HAVE been donated by philanthropists. Now some like the Lewis Ginter are “public places” that are privately (foundation) owned but many other donated places – were/have been donated to government to own and maintain.

    why is this a question worth discussing?

    because we’re being told that government should be “limited” because right now it harms the cause of more efficient settlement patterns. we are also told that there is a Conservative approach to Smart Growth where the private sector will do a better job at Smart Growth.

    finally, we’re told that Smart Growth “needs” public places… parks, transit, bike and ped… etc.. and for the life of me I cannot see how that gets done beyond the individual parcel – by a conservative private sector…

    however.. of all the places I can think of… Las Vegas has a ton of private sector involvement in public places!

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