Welcome to week 12'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
"Why Libraries May Never Stop Being People Places"
By Karrie Jacobs
This article discusses the rise of the Libby app, which allows users to borrow and read library books digitally, especially during the pandemic. While Libby suggests a shift away from physical libraries, it also highlights how libraries like the Brooklyn Public Library have enhanced their physical presence. Despite closures, they expanded services outdoors with initiatives like Wi-Fi access and the "Roadway Reading Room," turning sidewalks into public spaces. These efforts emphasize the continued importance of libraries as community hubs.
Libraries have been trying to figure out ways to make their buildings less transactional. We want people to come and stay for long periods of time to see the library as their co-working space or their third place.
Read the whole article here by New York Times
Feature Publication of the Week
Public Markets as a Vehicle for Social Integration and Upward Mobility
Published by Projects of Public spaces
This pdf summarizes the results of a six-month research effort where Project for Public Spaces in association with Partners for Livable Communities took a fresh look at public markets that serve low- and moderate-income, ethnically diverse communities. This research allowed us to address specifically how public markets enhance the potential for social integration in public spaces—attracting diverse income levels, ages, and ethnicities—and thereby create a sustainable vehicle for upward mobility and individual empowerment for low-income communities.
Access the publication here
Feature Visual (that caught our eye!)
Credits to Steve Bonello
Public Spaces
Featured Public Space
China's Magma Flow Public Space
Magma Flow is a stimulating urban activation of a pedestrian street from a newly built commercial and residential area in the port city of Ningbo, the second-most populous city in Zhejiang Province, China. One of the most characteristic features of this place is the presence of grand stairs that serve as pedestrian access to the open second floor of the commercial street. In order to activate this pedestrian junction and turn it into an eventful and eye-catching public space, colonizing the stairs extending and detaching the proposal from the horizontal plane of the floor was early identified as a key action to gain visibility, and from which the rest of the proposal could be articulated.
Read more: Magma Flow Public Spaces
Stay tuned for next week's Pulse of Public Spaces for more insights and inspiration!
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