Welcome to week 4's edition of Pulse of Public Spaces, where we spotlight essential articles, reports, products and more - that drive urban development, engage communities, and support local municipalities in building thriving public spaces! Dive in to stay informed and inspired.
Feature Article of the Week
"Costco's answer to the housing crisis"
By Taylor Herzlich
Costco is dipping toes into the realm of residential real estate development. As a way of making a dent in the affordable housing crisis - Costco intends to develop a combo retail-housing project in LA.
What does this have to do with public spaces? The pressure to provide more affordable housing is exponentially increasing, in the US and globally. Unless housing is combined with a corresponding increase in public spaces that can offset the pressure on land and resources, building out more residential is adding to problems down the road, instead of fixing them. With Costco's approach, self serving as it may be - brings a new scale of mixed use development combined with transit oriented development. What was once homes over mom and pop stores, could soon be homes over big box retail.
Big box retail steps toward better integrated urban environments
Feature Publication of the Week
Cities for Girls, Cities for All
Published by UN Habitat
This report from UN Habitat and Global UT Manning looks at the logical approach that public spaces that work for the more or most vulnerable user groups, work for all. Rethinking the lens with which development is planned, benefits all stakeholders. Simple is rarely easily to implement though. The report highlights co-creation as a way of building a partnership for a shared better future.
Access the publication here
Feature Visual (that caught our eye!)
Credits to Alice Austin
Illustrations for the Pianta Grande di Roma
Featured Public Space
Vancouver's Public Library
The Vancouver Public Library is well known for its design, its starchitect Moshe Safdie, and the sheer scale of the entire building. But the library also includes a section rarely seen by the public. On the ninth floor, through a series of service corridors and up a metal ladder, sits a 20,000-square-foot oasis of Japanese maple trees, shrubs, and grasses—a rooftop garden that has been hidden for more than 20 years, and opened to the public in 2018.
Stay tuned for next week's Pulse of Public Spaces for more insights and inspiration!
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