For the Love of Public Space
PHOTO OF THE HEART TUNNEL AT THE MIRACLE GARDEN IN DUBAI, PHOTO BY ONE-MILLION-PLACES.COM.
Though it may be hard to believe here in the snow-covered Northeast, the start of Spring is just over a month away. As we celebrate this Valentine's Day, we chose to espouse our love for public spaces and the different types of places we live to design and build as we begin to envision the warmer months ahead. We are excited to show you the proverbial box of chocolates available to choose from as we showcase our favorite types of public places we enjoy creating.
In a previous feature, we already examined how green spaces and public spaces can impact our physical and mental health, but a further element of good public design is found in the ability to provide places of relationship and connection. For example, inspired by his parents' romance, author Ariel Sabar wrote the book Heart of the City, as a reflection on how some iconic public spaces become the places where couples meet and fall in love. Ariel found that there were studies in social and environmental psychology that explained what sorts of places are more likely to induce friendly glances among strangers.
“So the things that matter are, if a place is beautiful if it gets your pulse racing and your adrenaline flowing, if there's something interesting to look at, whether it's a juggler or a street musician, then it's the kind of place where strangers are more likely to sort of think favorably of one another and to strike up a conversation.”
- Ariel Sabar, author of Heart of the City
A HEART IN THE LAWN OF BRYANT PARK, NYC DEDICATED TO HEALTHCARE WORKERS DURING THE PANDEMIC
Ariel further identified that these, “phenomenal and, sadly, kind of diminishing public spaces in America are so important” and that, “the wonderful serendipitous encounters that happen in public require us to “open ourselves beyond our limited social circle, where we have to reach out across lines of class, of faith, race, to people who might not otherwise cross paths with us.”
See more: The Science To Falling In Love In Public Places : NPR
Another ‘placemaking hero’ who has been recognized for his ability to understand how public spaces improve the lives and relationships of those throughout his city is Enrique Penalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá, Columbia. He captured the romance and purpose of good public spaces when he stated the following:
Public space is for living, doing business, kissing, and playing. Its value can't be measured with economics or mathematics; it must be felt with the soul.
- Enrique Penalosa (Former Mayor of Bogotá, Columbia)
Through his efforts in Bogotá, Enrique prioritized public spaces by restricting private car use and building hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and parks to benefit the lives of all ages - especially children.
See more: Enrique Peñalosa.
So what makes a good public space?
According to the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) - an organization that has existed for nearly four decades and has helped over 3,500 communities across 50 countries and all 50 U.S. states imagine their futures and meet their needs through public space, a successful public space generally needs to offer four qualities: it should be accessible, it should be comfortable and have a good image, people should be able to engage in an array of activities, and, it should be sociable. With these characteristics in mind, PPS describes the possibilities as, “endless as to what type of public space can be successful.” PPS developed The Place Diagram below as a tool to help people in judging any place, good or bad:
RENDERING OF USAQUÉN URBAN WETLAND IN BOGOTÁ BY OBRAESTUDIO, PHOTO BY JAIRO LLANO.
For the Love of Public Space: Our favorite types of public spaces to design and build
As we have already identified, the core values and design principles of public space as we are excited to share three types of public spaces we love creating the most to foster greater connection and improved mental and physical health outcomes. These three types or formats of space include green roofs, outdoor breakrooms, and outdoor classrooms.
Green roofs
ArchDaily - The world's most visited architecture website, describes how there is a new-found interest in utilizing rooftops for underused spaces as opportunities for green roof development. C40 Cities - A Climate Leadership Group, indicates that up to 25 percent of a cities' land area are rooftops and are among cities “most exciting spatial resources.” From sustainable infrastructure and urban farming to social spaces and cultural venues, the article looks into the potential of creating a multi-layered city through the activation of urban rooftops. The article concludes that as the pandemic underlined, there is a, “severe need for more outdoor areas,” and that rooftops are regarded as a viable addition to the public realm.
See more: A New Layer of Public Space: The Case for Activating Urban Rooftops | ArchDaily
FROM ROEF - A TOUR OF AN AMSTERDAM ROOF LANDSCAPE.
urbanNext - a global network to produce content focused on rethinking architecture identifies how the COVID-19 pandemic has made some green public spaces in cities inaccessible and how greening rooftops could allow new leisure space while improving the environmental situation. They describe how a rooftop garden could, “become the ideal type of semi-public space that will help satisfy people’s needs for leisure time in nature without violating necessary physical distancing measures.” Green rooftops will help the city solve global problems by making it less vulnerable by allowing cities to improve their environmental situation and the health of their residents.
See more: Green Rooftops: New Leisure Space | urbanNext
For the Love of Public Space: Outdoor Breakrooms
PHOTO BY RPKLA
Another new trend of public spaces we love comes from the corporate and commercial world of office spaces looking for innovative solutions to provide places for their workforce to connect. National Business Furniture identifies that this up-and-coming trend in office design is creating break areas outside to provide a space that’s innovative and inspiring, to offer employees a reprieve from the hours of sitting at their desks.
See more: Now Trending: Outdoor Breakrooms | NBF Blog
RENDERING BY RPKLA
In a feature by ROSI Inc. - an office supply company since 1993, they indicate that studies show that providing a way for people to go outdoors and connect with nature can have a significant impact on productivity - and that spending time outside it helps employees to relax away from the stress of work. They indicate that “from a design standpoint, the outdoor break room offers endless possibilities to create an inviting space.” With key design features built on combining the beauty of nature with the utility of having outdoor social living spaces to enjoy a break or your lunch. Some elements include adding a few outdoor park benches or tables with commercial outdoor umbrellas and maximizing tree shade. They indicate that “the payoff can be huge for any corporation.”
See more: Outdoor Break Rooms Help Employees Relax And Recharge
CADdetails, a leading provider of manufacturer-specific building product information throughout North America, describes the evolving nature of break rooms since the COVID-19 pandemic and how they will play an even more significant role in the lives of employees once people can return to their offices.
They identify that in a shifting workplace, “focusing on employee engagement for those who do return to physical offices will be crucial” and that, “many employers have had to redesign their workspace and break rooms to meet social distancing standards in light of the pandemic.” As a result, employees who have been able to go back to work are far apart and may seem like they can’t interact with other employees. They further identify that Biophilic design has been a growing trend for a long time and that sunlight and plant life can, “do wonders for productivity between worktimes while also contributing to good air quality”. They recommend creating outdoor alternatives for breaks that can revitalize employees with “great design options” that include creating a balcony, terrace, or other outdoor space for employees to take a break to enable more collaboration between employees. Other recommended design elements include adding patio furniture and circular tables to enhance the area, planting trees and flowers to keep the space aesthetically beautiful.
See more: Unconventional Ideas for Well-Designed Employee Break Rooms | Design Ideas for the Built World
For the Love of Public Space: Outdoor Classrooms
A RENDERING OF THE CHILDREN’S CENTER OF BRIGHTON - RPKLA WAS TASKED WITH DESIGNING AN OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENT TO SUPPORT A FULL RANGE OF DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS & LEARNING OUTCOMES.
Finally, one other public design trend that has us enamored includes the recent increase in the creation of outdoor classroom spaces. The New York Times recently reported that schools across the United States have embraced the idea of classes in the open air, as Americans did during disease outbreaks a century ago.
“Covid has hastened the pace of a shift toward trying to take better advantage of the outdoors”
- Maria Libby, the superintendent of the Five Town Community School District in Rockport, Maine
Students are learning in the outdoors, where some parents and teachers hope that the temporary measures might become permanent. In New York City about 1,100 proposals for public schools to move students outdoors this past fall were approved. Some included closing down streets or occupying parks while Essex Street Academy students leveraged the use of their school roof. In a Cape Cod community, students were learning outside almost every day. The president of the local Rotary chapter indicated that in their opinion this approach, “lets them (the students) think on a more fundamental level than sitting in a classroom with a desk.”
See more: Classrooms Without Walls, and Hopefully Covid
In Los Angeles County, the Los Angeles County Office of Education is working with some of its 80 districts to design robust outdoor learning spaces. Key design features include equitable access to nature, being immersed in a natural environment, movable and flexible furniture, and canopies that offer shade and protection from the rain.
See more: 10 top concepts for designing outdoor classrooms
Two examples of Los Angeles County outdoor classroom design concepts.
Valediction
It is evident that public spaces offer a great deal to love about them, and that to create the right type of space requires nurturing best practices that enable a better relationship to the outdoors and are designed for one another. As we begin 2022 we greatly look forward to exploring this newfound purpose and passion of our business to create the spaces you will love for years to come.
POLLINATOR GARDEN IN ROCHESTER, NEW YORK
Do you love public spaces as much as we do?
Perhaps you are looking for the opportunity to create a public space you love where others can gather either at your home or office. Whether you are seeking a green roof, outdoor break room, outdoor classroom, or customized public space to your desire, let us make life better outside for you. See how our Landscape Architecture, Master Planning & Sustainable Design can suit your needs, and please reach out to us to engage us in a conversation on your public space project idea. Beginning the plan to create a healthy vibrant outdoor public space can never happen too early, let us help you design a public space that you and others will fall in love with.
