World Town Planning Day

Online Conference 2011

Going Public: Spaces in our Communities

1-2 November 2011

See the Conference Program and Register

12.0 AICP CM Credits Approved as a Multi-Part Event

Don't miss out!  Registration closes at midnight (Eastern Time / New York) on Saturday, 29 October, 2011

About This Year's Conference

The topic for the 2011 conference is Going Public: Spaces in Our Communities.   

Around the world, across all parts of society, both population growth and decline are increasing the pressure on public spaces to serve more roles and functions than ever before.  Historically, the public plaza was to be a place where people could meet, hear from their leaders, share ideas, and trade.  The basic premise is still the same; however, we are placing more and more pressure on these types of public spaces by increasing the intensity of these uses.  Not only that, but these types of uses and activities are starting to be accommodated in areas such as footpaths, school playgrounds, roadsides, and parks. Where once each of these types of spaces served a specific purpose, they are now required to be multi-purpose, hence we need to design them differently, and we have far more people activities we have to consider. In addition, public spaces are also being used as economic development tools to bring positive change to areas beyond their boundaries and revitalize urban areas in which population and economic activity have declined.

The purpose of this conference is to bring together ideas from around the world, about how we are planning for and designing our public spaces to be even more public, as well as supplement for less private space.

The issues differ at the various scales of public space and the conference will be programmed around the following themes to acknowledge that.

1.     Management of Public Space

Well maintained public spaces can be powerful tools in improving the economic well-being of a city. One example is the use of a Business Improvement Districts (BID) to revitalize business opportunities in city centres. BIDs are private associations of owners who create their own conditions to improve their local businesses with the support of the public sector by carrying out security, cleaning, marketing and implementation of street or pedestrian street landscapes. At the same time, informality in the use of such spaces creates tension.

2.     Community Pride Makes Better Places

How can the public get involved in what happens in their city’s public spaces?  One example is in Eindhoven (the Netherlands), where inhabitants who spot “anti-social behavior” can simply take a picture with their mobile phone and send it to authorities to notify them about problems in the public space.

3.      Little Things Make a Big Difference

Elements such as signage, street furniture, and art can define a space and give it a sense of identity.  Given the complexity of some public spaces, especially in city centres, it is essential to use street furniture and signage to simplify the understanding of a place or the understanding of the location of important places (subways, historic buildings, administrative buildings, etc.).  These elements can also improve the quality of one’s experience in a public space.

4.     Public Spaces are Good for Your Soul

Saving, creating, and improving things that contribute to the positive atmosphere of a city or a neighborhood (such as historic buildings, heritage, celebrations, events) are good ways to improve quality of life, well-being and the image of the city through public spaces. How does one increase the positive ‘sense of place’ to ensure physical and emotional recovery.

5.     Making Our Public Spaces Safe

One inherent issue of a space open to all is security. An actual or perceived lack of security can have an impact on economic and social activities, and globally on what people think of a neighborhood. Some cities make the choice to fight it with new methods: for example, surveillance cameras, or the London (UK) Community Policing effort where people, thanks to a free number, can participate in the surveillance of their city.

6.     Reclaiming Space from Cars

Sustainable development issues require attention to other forms of mobility. For instance, the improvement of bus, tram or bicycle paths calls for better connections between the different modes of transport.

7.     Access For All

A public space that is open for all requires thinking about people with a range of mobility abilities, from the disabled to the very old and the very young, and the need to improve their access to urban facilities.