Squares: A Public Place Design Guide for UrbanistsVital public places--squares, post office steps, playgrounds, street corners--are centers of joyful celebration, heartbroken communion, civic discussion, or for simply hanging out. Squares is intended to help designers, planners, public officials, students, developers, and community leaders understand the history and theories of public commons, elicit community dialogue and desires, respond to the natural and built environment, and design compelling places. Mark C. Childs contends that places built to support conviviality are critical components of a good town. He includes theory, brief case studies, and 126 design queries and discussions. These questions range from the general--"How can the life of the community be strengthened by the planning of a civic place?"--to the particular--"Is the place delightful on a Tuesday morning?" "What makes a good place for a rendezvous?" Childs explores the design implications of the automobile, electronic media, the natural environment, urban furniture and structures, public safety, and public art. Interspersed with Childs's text are brief essays by other authors addressing particular kinds of public spaces: parks, urban beaches, farmers' markets, and community gardens. |
Contents
The Joy of the Commons | 3 |
Theories of the Commons | 11 |
Dreams of a Common Language | 21 |
The Economic Value of Parks and Open Space | 37 |
Farmers Markets What Lies Beneath | 59 |
Public SpaceUrban Beach Lummus Park South Miami Beach Florida | 71 |
Reasonable Risk | 77 |
Singing in the Rain | 97 |
A Winter City | 107 |
Catchments | 127 |
Walls Floors and Ceilings | 133 |
Props | 155 |
The Art and Architecture of Collaboration | 177 |
The Architectural Roles of Public Art | 183 |
Stop Making Sense | 193 |