Welcome to week 5'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
"Do Your City’s Rules Empower the Community or the Notorious Vocal Minority?"
By Asia Mieleszko
Frustrations with local government is a familiar groan across communities all over the world. Local municipalities can rarely do enough to satisfy their residents, because it is impossible to please everyone. But what happens when the extremely vocal minority, (or those who simply had time and resources on their hand) are able to block beneficial changes?
This article explores how constantly changing construction regulations can cause big problems. On the other end of the spectrum, even when vocal majorities voice their opinion - they are dismissed by their local government. These scenarios delay community projects and local government initiatives for years and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. It's a situation where even well-supported projects can get stuck, making it harder to improve our public spaces.
How do we fix a broken system? Strong Towns speaks of making incremental changes, quickly. Or semi permanent interventions based on community feedback.
The message for the thousands of community members who did weigh in on the future of Washington Avenue is clear: The next time the city asks residents for input, why bother?”
Read the whole article here by Strong Towns
Feature Publication of the Week
World Cities Report 2022
Published by UN Habitat
This report from UN Habitat delves into how the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a temporary crisis of confidence in the future of cities. However, a broad consensus is that urbanization remains a powerful twenty-first century mega-trend; and that well-planned towns and cities remain central to the sustainable development trajectory. There is a sense of optimism that the crisis may provide us with the opportunity to build back differently, more inclusively, greener and safer.
Access the publication here
Feature Visual (that caught our eye!)
Credits to Stephan Groeb Halbuer
Illustrations for the the Urban Matters Volume 1
Featured Public Space
Fort Worth's Sundance Square Plaza
Urban Plazas work great when they have (1) great surroundings that feel pedestrian friendly, (2) can cater to different setups and activities, (3) work beautifully at night, (4) organically pull people toward it, reflecting community spirit with little fuss.
Read more: Sundance and Urban resilience
Stay tuned for next week's Pulse of Public Spaces for more insights and inspiration!
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