Create an activity program that will ensure a vibrant place.
The quality of the activity matters more than the quality or even the quantity of public facilities available.
An outdoor gym can host yoga, tai-chi, functional and running classes and not have a single piece of equipment. A library can be a book exchange stall inside a local business or so.
This microscale can be public fixtures, such as a small library, an outdoor fitness centre and so on. The most important feature of Beta Places® (small initiatives) is that they do not have to be a building or a tangible piece of equipment. It can be something as simple as an activity schedule somewhere not necessarily prepared for this in advance.
The very idea of Placemaking is born from the appropriation and qualification of public spaces by the community in the spirit of do-it-yourself (DIY). Here, too, we have a counterintuitive idea for the real estate entrepreneur who thinks that all it takes to build a square is to build a square. This could not be further from the truth.
The Hardware of a square is certainly less important than the Software. This is easy to prove given the number of empty squares in whatever city we use as a parameter.
This does not mean that it is enough not to build anything. It means that, along with building, it is necessary to activate, maintain and monitor.
Remember:
- Activities are the key.
- As much as you may work in the realm of the traditional masterplan, life happens on the microscale. Give it the attention it needs.
- Thinking about activities is an infinite task. It does not end with the completion of a project, nor should it end with a change of public management.
