What moves us about great public space is its ability to convene community. To provide an accessible place of solace and celebration. It’s not about the buildings, or even the streets. It’s about the experience. Susan Henderson on Savannah's squares.
"Public space, or as many urbanists refer to it, civic space, sets the stage for community building. The study of how we use public space has been refined by Jan Gehl over the last thirty years, since the publication of his Life Between Buildings in 1987. A couple of weeks ago, Gehl released his Public Life Data Protocol, in an attempt to establish a standard method for the global collection of data on how we inhabit our civic spaces. And help the rest of us become better urban observers."
"We’ve blogged extensively here about what it takes to make a great plaza. Scott Doyon wrote recently about attachment to place, and its power in strengthening neighborhoods. Today, I’m thinking more of a simple anecdote about a public place that moved me."
Henderson goes on to relate her recent experience in Washington Square in Savannah, Georgia, and the elements that make it a powerful public space.
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