Eleven Principles for Creating Great Community Places

There has been a lot of talk in the city of Halifax about saving the skating oval in the commons. So often it is this enthusiasm that is most difficult to spur. Here, the enthusiasm from the community is undeniable. In terms of building social value, this seems to be a gifted opportunity. As mentioned in a previous post, we will submit a proposal to develop the infrastructure around the oval, looking critically at the potential of this development to not only respond to the needs of the community for such a public space, but for this public space to respond to the needs of the city. Halifax, like all cities is looking for a way to gain an economic boost. The establishment of a public square (in this case it would highlight a skating rink) not only brings economic rewards but provides a space for the community to gather for social, cultural and political activities. These spaces are the life source of a city - they nurture community development and foster true urban sustainability.


So, when we think about building infrastructure around the skating oval, it is imperative that such an initiative be informed in a way that will ensure it's continued success in the years to come. 


Eleven Principles for Creating Great Community Places « Project for Public Spaces - Placemaking for Communities

Open Source Architecture - Cameron Sinclair

Cameron Sinclair is the cofounder of architecture for humanity.

Most of the work shown here is done in the developing world, which has a range of both positive and problematic outcomes. The reason I posted this video was to highlight the deep level of community involvement in the design process.

Community Observations - Halifax Skate Park

Being new to Halifax, I have spent a lot of time navigating the city by foot, About a week ago, late in the evening I crossed the commons, it was really cold and with the exception of a few people on the foot path, there were no people around, except for those at the local skate park. Despite the cold and the dark, there were several young guys doing what they loved to do, skateboarding. Of all the public spaces in the city, I was willing to bet that no other space was being used at that time, especially given the less than temperate conditions.

I went back the following day to speak with someone about the park. Assuming the park was built by the city, which it was, I was interested to learn that this was a space designed by a group of local skateboarders in collaboration with a firm who specializes in the design of skate parks. The design was proposed to the city for funding and approved.

Seeing a public space being used in this way, in less than favorable conditions speaks in part to the passion of those practicing their sport, but it also reinforces the potential for building successful public spaces together. There are opportunities to apply some of what has been learned here to other design opportunities with the community.

Community building in Eastern Germany

This intervention took place in the suburbs of East Germany in a physically and socially depressed area known as the Salbke District. This neighborhood is primarily comprised of decaying buildings from its past industrial identity, a few remaining commercial properties and a large sprawling residential sector. The area where this intervention took place was the site of the former public library.

The community used surrounding vacant commerical spaces to amass a book collection on a donation basis. Together with a group of professional architects and planners, the community engaged in a participative process to establish an programme of needs and design concepts for the library space. There were 20,000 books collected and a 1:1 scale model was built with the community, using over a thousand beer crates as building material. The community then held a two day event in the new space.

This initiative was presented to the Federal Government for funding to construct the facility. The library's facade was built using prefabricated pieces from a demolished building from the 1960's. Although this project had limited resources from the beginning, an innovative solution was arrived at due in large part to the deep level of community involvement. The result is a public library space that is open to the public 24 hours a day and managed by the residents of the community.

This project may not have had the successes it did if the community were not motivated to pursue the project, and were not empowered through out the design process. You can read an assessment of the successes and potential opportunities of this project here.

Community Observations - Public Garden

I visited the Halifax Public Garden at the end of the summer, it felt like a quaint Canadian version of le jardin du luxembourg. Of course the park space itself was a highlight, but even more apparent was the interaction of the community within the space. Old people, young people, lovers, friends, gardeners, artists, tourists, locals, all of this made for a beautiful public space. Even the graffiti was beautiful! When I read the information board that you see here I was impressed to learn that this was the oldest remaining Victorian Garden in Canada. But the graffiti tag is what I remember. It struck me as more than just an act of rebellion. Someone had considered this place when leaving their mark. A space like this garden is intended as an inclusive space in the city. Seeing a graffiti tag in this context made me wonder about the way public space represents a whole community. Can we design more inclusive public space by involving seemingly disconnected members of the community?