Great Public Spaces

To Save the Planet, Start with Sidewalks

Rich street life is no frill. It is an expression of the most ancient function of a city—a place for people to come together, all kinds of people, face-to-face. — William "Holly" Whyte

Who Owns the Intersection Defines the Social Life of Neighborhoods

You can tell a great city by its corners. If If the intersection is owned by the vehicles, it is a city for cars and traffic. If the community controls the intersections/corners, it is a city of neighborhoods.

Barcelona

Seven Places to Experience the Awe-Inspiring Social Life of Barcelona

Seven spots around Barcelona that offer crucial lessons to instill social life in an urban setting: Sagrada Famila, Palau de la Musica Catalana, a Giant Flea Market, Parc de la Ciutadella, a busy neighborhood…park, market and street…and a small fountain

Streets

It's the Sidewalks, Stupid

Paradigm-shattering change will happen when streets, sidewalks and intersections are transformed into community gathering spots through the simple act of giving human beings priority over motor vehicles.

The Magic of Luxembourg Gardens

The magical appeal of Luxembourg Gardens is simply that people feel welcome to eat, relax or stroll. But it's under-pining is that, it's all about just a nice place to sit

sidewalks

Creating the Streets We Want

Rich street life is no frill. It is an expression of the most ancient function of a city—a place for people to come together, all kinds of people, face-to-face. — William "Holly" Whyte

Turn Places "Inside Out" to Revive Social Connection and Local Economies

Thresholds where storefronts and buildings connect with the sidewalk —is the place to reunite communities and jump-start local economies after these long, hard months.

Social Life and COVID-19

10 Ways to Re-Open Our Communities and Businesses While Keeping Everyone Safe

How do we “tip-toe” our way back to a flourishing social life, capitalizing on local knowledge to make sensible choices about how to reopen our communities by involving local people in the decisions.

Munich

Please just a nice place to sit — Victual Market, Munich, Germany

A creative approach to seating makes this one of the world's great social places

A Great European Waterfront Few People Know About

Otranto— a town of 6000 on the Adriatic Sea—features harborside streets alive with walkers

Brooklyn

Capitalizing on the Appeal of Waterfronts

What Brooklyn (and everywhere else) can learn from Paris and Porto, Portugal

Paris

New York vs. Paris—Which is on the Right Track?

Neighborhood life in two great cities that are going opposite directions

Transformative Ideas

9 Ways to Reinvigorate Towns & Cities Everywhere

Saving the planet depends on reclaiming our communities—a Social Life Project update

Paris

Paris (The City of “Life” and “Light”) is the World Capital of Affection, Comfort & Joy

When you see people openly expressing their feelings in public—you know you’re in a safe and appealing place

Paris

The Secret Wonder of Paris

The world's best new waterfront features a 400-year-old bridge

Transformative Ideas

Our Global Catastrophes will be Solved by Local Communities

The problems we face are global in scale. Yet the most effective solutions can be found on the local level. The frontlines for social change today are in neighborhoods, villages, towns and cities.

Paris

The Little Bollard That Could—Do a Lot

A simple tool that can make any city more walkable and pleasurable

Waterfronts

Is Vancouver Losing Its Soul?

A wrong turn in the city that once showed us how to do things right