Delray Action Plan

To become the best place in Florida, does Delray Beach have to break all the rules? Probably.

Delray Beach is a special place, but recent changes have pushed the community away from the village life that made this special place on the Florida's Southeast coast so unique. Rules about large intersections, garages, and wide roads have eroded the vibrant social life of Delray. By drawing from the best of the city's history, and expanding on the many positive qualities of the present, we can create the future that we all want.‌‌ This post describes some of the possibilities for that vision.

The effort to improve Delray is a community-led process. We encourage feedback on this piece, and we will be adapting it to community input as we go along. Reach out at info@sociallifeproject.org

Wonderful Delray!

Who are we and what is placemaking?

I, Fred Kent, and my late wife, Kathy Madden, have been visiting Delray for decades – it is our second home. Back at home in Brooklyn, we have worked at the forefront of public space revitalization for 50 years, first as the founders of the Project for Public Spaces, and now as the leaders of the Placemaking Fund. In this work, we pioneered a placemaking process which inspires people to collectively create public spaces at the heart of every community.

With that in mind, we have three big ideas we'd appreciate your input on about how we can improve Delray.

Streets and sidewalks are the stage for social life. This space is precious and should not all be handed over to cars. We support reducing oversized roads, reconfiguring turn lanes, shrinking intersections, and increasing pedestrian and bike infrastructures to support the development the village life. Here are some specifics:

A True Main Street

Atlantic Avenue is the backbone of Delray. From I95 to the ocean, it should become a pleasant promenade or "passeggiata" to the sea. A street defined by relaxation, socializing, and commerce – not traffic. There are already many pleasant and treasured segments of Atlantic, let's extend them!

Strollers are always a telltale sign of a good street.

Read more about the endless possibilities of Atlantic Ave, as well as some world class streets across the globe that we can take inspiration from:

Killer Intersections

Delray is home to far too many intersections that leave little space for community life. Intersections are where people converge. This space should be shared.

Intersections like these make it unsafe and uncomfortable to walk and hang about

Read more about how we can transform our intersections below:

Sidewalks

Sidewalks are the least understood, most overlooked public space. This is unfortunately true in many parts of Delray as streets often squeeze walkers into small sidewalks. Our sidewalk resource guide explores a variety of strategies used around the world to create fun, safe, and unique sidewalks. We think the guide's examples of "double-loaded" sidewalks would work particularly well in Delray.

Double-loaded sidewalk in Valencia, Spain.

2) Create a Series of distinct destinations

Delray needs a series of flourishing local destinations that can serve as the "heart and soul" of their neighborhoods. These destinations can take many different forms: plazas, squares, markets, main streets, and more.

Start with the Power of 10+

Our work on the power of 10+ breaks down exactly what we mean when we say destination. Essentially, Delray needs to make 10+ different destinations, that have 10+ different places, that all have 10+ things to do! Confusing? Dive deeper with this article.

This shows the Power of 10+ at the *place* level

Architecture of Place

Delray is home to some stellar community oriented architecture. Walking around the city, we are always stunned by the beautiful pocket neighborhoods that foster connection between neighbors. We need more of these.

Communal patios create places to connect

However, much of the new development in Delray lacks this place-led approach. In particular, the recent infestation of large garages destroys any possibility of a street facing social life. Another unwelcome development is that of the new, lifeless – or "place-taking" as we call it – hotels. Read more below:

Use Small Building to Create Mini-Hubs

Small buildings like sheds or huts can be crucial gathering places for friends and families alike. By incorporating these structures into local neighborhood parks or corner properties, we can begin to create a relaxed social fabric that spreads across the city of Delray, instead of just concentrating activity in the downtown area.

Cheap and convenient, these make the perfect corner store or ice cream hut.

3) Reimagine our Public Spaces

Delray should continue investing in the public spaces that make the city special. The bones are already there, and with a few tweaks, we can create communal hubs that consistently bring together people from all across the city.

Old School Square

Old School Square in Delray Beach, Florida is easily one of the best square/market combinations in North America – when it is programmed. Below we break down how we can continue to develop Old School Square into a welcoming and fun destination for all.

Veterans Park as a Waterfront Destination

Veterans Park should be one of the humming destinations along a "new" Atlantic Avenue promenade to the ocean. We believe parks can be more than just passive green spaces. In our work and travels all over the world, we noticed that the most beloved public parks offer more than grass and trees, they offer snacks, refreshments, play areas, seating, art, focal points, and more. We've linked two great articles that demonstrate what Veterans park could become.

The bench and fountain is beloved and busy; the rest of park is generally empty.

Looking Ahead

Delray is at its best when ocean air, open toes, and outdoor conversation overlap to create a relaxed village life. This is a lifestyle that many of us know so well – and one that we risk losing if Delray continues to develop with business as usual.

Many of the proposals we discuss may require Delray to break the rules – rules that place traffic flow over social life. But in this beautiful beach city, we have both the opportunity and the agency to define the lifestyle we want: one centered on each other and the landscape that keeps us — and thousands of others — returning year after year.

Please reach out to continue the conversation: info@sociallifeproject.org

And with that, we'll once again leave you with our favorite image of Delray. Sandals, beach chairs, friends, newspapers, bikes, and an afternoon nap on the sidewalk with your feet in the street – this is the heart of Delray, this is past which beckons us forward:

More About Us + Some Key Posts

Our main home is in Brooklyn where our two sons and their families live in a walkable neighborhood – Cobble Hill. It is a small community within a community which is described a "Pocket Neighborhood." Our family believes that our Brooklyn home is one of the most livable small communities in the country, and it reflects the values that Delray once embraced that we are fighting to bring back.

The mission of the Social Life Project is to incite a renaissance of community connection in public spaces around the globe. Through our online publication, presentations, campaigns, and catalytic projects, we can create transformative impact on communities everywhere. Our work grows out of more than 50 years devoted to building the global placemaking movement. It is an initiative of the Placemaking Fund, along with PlacemakingX — a global network of leaders who together accelerate placemaking as a way to create healthy, inclusive, and beloved communities.

If you are interested in collaborating (articles, presentations, exhibits, projects, and more) or supporting the cause contact us.

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Delray Action Plan

To become the best place in Florida, does Delray Beach have to break all the rules? Probably.

Wonderful Delray!