Public Open Space Citichat 21 September 2001

CITICHAT 37/2001 - September 21.2001


Public Open Space

Still intending to look at private sector organisations established to interface with cities, but other issues keep distracting me. Wednesday we had another 'march/demonstration/ whatever' in the City, have absolutely no idea what it was about. I still remain positive from the point of view that we at least now have the freedom for these to take place (even if we don't know what they're all about!). But Why O Why must they be accompanied by a continuous cacophony of amplified shouting later to be followed by metro police cars with sirens screaming leading the marchers? Some time after the event I had occasion to cross the Library Gardens area (no, that is too much of a misnomer, let's try Civic Spine) and was again appalled at the litter and filth that appears to be the hallmark of gatherings of people in our city. Apart from the mess, I noticed that openings created in the awful structures in the corners of the Civic Spine have been secured with barbed wire. Apart from the perception that barbed wire creates, from a practical point of view it also acts as a catch-all for every bit of wind-borne paper or plastic. Our cleansing department appears to work with downcast eyes, can't say that I blame them, but this means that only refuse on the ground is removed. As a result, detritus of the wind-borne variety stays as a permanent monument to our inability to educate the broad community to respect the public environment.

Or, maybe the 14th Century observation of one, Petrus Berchorius is correct when he said; "Since piazzas are areas in villages or cities, empty of houses and other such things and of obstructions, arranged for the purpose of providing space or set up for meetings of men, it should be remarked, in general, through piazzas the condition of man in this world can be discovered."

Richard Rogers in his book “Cities for a Small Planet” says much the same as he comments that cities reflect the values, commitment and resolve of the societies which they contain. He says “The success of a city therefore depends on its inhabitants, their government and the priority both give to maintaining a humane urban environment……. The public domain is the theatre of the urban culture. It is where citizenship is enacted, it is the glue that can bind an urban society…..Quality of urban environment defines quality of life for its citizens….. A new form of citizenship must be evolved that responds to the needs of a modern city.”

What are we doing about evolving a new form of citizenship?

Cy Paumier, the principal of the company LDR International which is based in Columbia, Maryland, in his keynote speech at the Mayor's Forum held last year in Seattle Washington, began with the following statement; "The really great cities of the world are remembered for their public realm: their parks, plazas, boulevards, squares, and pedestrian streets. It isn't about buildings alone - it's the public realm, the public environment, the connective physical fabric that sets the tone for private investment and creates the human environment for human activity and habitation. And those are the things that people really remember."

Clearly, if really great cities are remembered by their public realm, we have an awful long way to go! What’s to do about it?

Paumier then highlighted the following principles in regard to the provision of memorable public space:

1. Parks, plazas and pedestrian streets are the primary organising elements that shape city centre development, create livability, and preserve property values

2. Revitalising existing parks and open space stimulates private investment in cities

3. Creating new parks and green space generates vitality and fosters residential development in cities

4. Enhancing existing civic space restores respect and pride in cities

5. Creating linear greenways reinforces pedestrian walkways between activity areas and amenities

6. Streetscape improvement along vehicular entrances to the city improve the image of an urban area and

7. A well-designed public realm will promote community investment, contribute to a city's unique character and create a sense of place.

Let’s face it, our city public spaces are just awful and their usage, whilst underlining our young democracy emphasises our lawlessness and disrespect for the city’s public realm. I shudder to think of Earth Summit attendees in now under twelve months time! Again, what’s to do?

The rebuilding of the Civic Spine into a space that is in keeping with the vision of a ‘World Class African City’ – ‘a city of propriety, excellent quality of life and a wealth of cultural and economic activity’ -, on the agenda now for some time, must be accelerated. This would be a good start. Let’s have an international design competition with the entries exhibited all over the city and its citizens given the opportunity to comment, criticise and generally participate in the decision making process. Then, in parallel, the city must embark on a massive ‘citizenship pride’ campaign. The editorial in an issue of ULI’s Urban Land magazine said this; “So what makes a community great? According to some common findings, a great community is about how it feels, not how it looks; how it acts, not how it is managed; if the community is wired; if it offers charitable goals; if it addresses health, educational, social and cultural needs; and if it provides recreational amenities. If it meets all of these criteria, not only will a community be ‘great’ but by nurturing a sense of well–being amongst residents, it will encourage ‘value-added’ development.”

And if that doesn’t work let’s just introduce a hefty littering spot fine starting just in the areas of our public spaces – the whole city would be impossible to police. And if all this doesn’t work, move the demonstrations elsewhere! Spiro Kostof in his book "The City Assembled" provides the motivation:

"Cities of every age have seen fit to make provision for open places that would promote social encounters and serve the conduct of public affairs. The model of a democratic civic centre remains the Greek agora. In its origin it was the open air locus of citizen's meetings. When the Athenian Agora proved too small for this purpose, the general assembly moved to the nearby hill of the Pnyx."

As luck would have it, we too have a nearby hill at the top of which is our bland monolith of a Metropolitan Centre. But it is surrounded by grassed public spaces which would provide an excellent venue for “moving the general assembly to” complete with the accompanying noise and litter. Then, in solidarity with the Athenian example, we could rename the hill Stynx!