If You Build It, They Might Not Come: Animating City Spaces

If you live in a city, you have probably walked by a newly redesigned public space that just happens to be…completely empty. In fact, millions of dollars are spent every year renovating public spaces in an effort to attract users. So, why do so many revamped areas remain unused and unloved after so much thought and economic resources are put into reenvisioning them?

The Center for Active Design (CfAD) has spent the last four years exploring that very question in an initiative “Assembly,” that looks at the connection between public space and community attitudes and behaviors. This work recently culminated in the release of Assembly: Civic Design Guidelines, a playbook offering design, maintenance, and programming strategies.