Designing successful civic spaces

Creating active public spaces improves attractiveness and safety, which in turn ensures their use as transport networks and social meeting spaces.

David Millington Photography Ltd

To be successful, civic spaces need a variety of uses and users around and within them throughout the day and evening. Different areas of cities have different needs and demands for public space. City centre parks will differ in function and scale of use to those on the edge of cities. At the city scale there is an opportunity to consider the potential for areas historically lacking in space, for example inner suburb areas of industrial decline, to provide new green space and parks. Proposals for Birmingham Eastside City Park are a good example of such an approach. Such initiatives support wider walking and cycling networks by creating a linked series of attractive and active open and public spaces.

The character of a public space and the uses which enclose it should be considered at the design stage at the site scale. Most spaces will have a clearly identifiable primary role, but should also be designed to be as multi-functional as possible. Uses may include:

• market and retail related – to support access to local produce and products in a convivial environment, for example Nottingham’s market square has been revitalised to accommodate a range of market activities and other events
• local interchanges for local train, bus and cycle and pick up and drop off – to support easy and attractive use of public transport networks, for example Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester has been redesigned to support interchange between tram, bus and pedestrian routes
• bus interchanges – for example as part of the Paradise Project, Liverpool and the Birkenhead bus interchange in Merseyside
• mainline stations – public spaces outside and within stations have an important role in providing an attractive gateway, for example Sheffield’s Sheaf Square
• local stations – public spaces in and around local stations have an important role at the town and neighbourhood scale, for example station improvements at Twickenham in London
• bus stops – for example Hanover's ‘art’ bus stops; and the green roof bus shelter pilot in Sheffield

Regional and local stations, tram halts, and even some bus stops should:

• meet development criteria for residential density
• provide clear integration of street patterns and routes
• contain key facilities for comfortable waiting, meeting and socialising, which might include facilities for a flower stall or coffee street trader or a cycle store.

For example, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, local design guidance highlights specific design parameters for the hierarchy of transport interchanges throughout the borough.

The relationship between form and function should be carefully considered when designing public space. For example, in order to encourage walking, public spaces should be well overlooked, have active and interesting edges and avoid over-complicated and superficial pattern making with paving or planting.

Priority: maximise the potential of public space
Tags: public space, cities and towns