Railyard Park Signifies a Small-Town Renaissance in Northwest Arkansas
Partially funded by the Walton Family Foundation’s Design Excellence Program, Ross Barney Architects’ five-acre project is part of a surprising public space boom in the region.
Public Space
Arthur Erickson's Decades-Old Vision for Vancouver's Robson Square Is Finally Realized
The revised plazas, which encircle the Vancouver Art Gallery, streamline Robson Square as a continuous, pedestrianized public space with nods to local culture.
Addressing the Intersecting Challenges of Climate Change, Housing, and Social Equity
A partnership between the Rudy Bruner Award and Northeastern University, recent “Inspiring Design” sessions examined how inclusive places and practices build social capital to drive systemic change.
The Rudy Bruner Award Continues Its Speaker Series: Engaging Communities via Food and Education
A partnership with Northeastern University, "Inspiring Design: Creating Beautiful, Just, and Resilient Places in America" draws on the award organization's national network.
Q&A: Mariana Mogilevich on New York City’s Path to a More Democratic and Diverse Civic Realm
Upon the release of her book The Invention of Public Space, the architectural historian discusses a little-known but pivotal chapter of urban history.
The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Launches a Speaker Series Dedicated to Planning Equity
A partnership with Northeastern University, "Inspiring Design: Creating Beautiful, Just, and Resilient Places in America" draws on the award organization's national network.
From the British Melting Pot, "New London Fabulous" Emerges
The slew of recent projects emphasize color’s capacity to bring joy to the public sphere. Just don’t call it a movement.
A Parking Lot Becomes a Vibrant and Versatile Public Space—For Now
In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Starlight Square serves as an ideal community center in the age of social-distancing.
Game Changers 2020: WXY and Future Green on Collaborative Urbanism
Next in our annual Game Changers series, Claire Weisz of WXY and David Seiter of Future Green discuss the complexities of designing within New York's diverse biomes and histories.
On this Fourth of July, Remember that Public Space is Democracy's Great Stage
Making public space unwelcome is a perversion of its purpose, writes ASLA president Wendy Miller in this op-ed. Too often over the past few weeks, the central promise of the civic realm has been turned on its head.
The Pandemic and Protests Have Highlighted Just How Unequal Our Cities Are
With a new urban crisis surfacing, designers from around the world propose radical changes to transportation, cooperative living, and public space.
How Fermob Sparked a Revolution in Public Space
Even in the age of social distancing, the brand’s iconic French Bistro chair can teach us about coming together in public space.
A Textural Patchwork—and Grove of Redwoods—Takes Up Residence in San Francisco
855 Brannan, a mixed-use complex by David Baker Architects, generously makes the most of outdoor living for tenants and the public alike.
Kuehn Malvezzi’s Employment Office Kills Three Birds with One (Stone) Building
In Oberhausen, Germany, a new government center is topped by a greenhouse and thoughtfully extends public space.
From a Tucked-Away New York Town, This Facility Brings Large-Scale Art to Life
UAP is making an unmissable mark on public space in American cities, fabricating outdoor art and installations from a buzzy foundry upstate.
"Keep Off the Grass": Why Fighting for Free Access to Green Space Implicates Us All
In an opinion piece for Metropolis, Alexandra Hagen, CEO of Swedish firm White Arkitekter, explains why countering commercial forces is central to protecting urban space.
A Russian Parks Program Creates Over 350 Public Spaces and Nurtures Local Design Talent
Costing less than glitzier parks in Moscow, the Tatarstan initiative is revivifying the local design and manufacturing bases with a "teach a man to fish" approach.
Switzerland’s Venerable Tanzhaus Zurich Now Straddles a Sloped Riverside Site
The dance and performance center, designed by Barcelona architects Barozzi/Veiga, emphasizes public space, with no less than three terraces.
Junya Ishigami’s New Park Turns Moscow’s Polytechnic Museum into a Public Offering
Designed with local firm Wowhaus, the park contains an amphitheater, circulation routes, and new entry points into the museum’s porous new basement.
A New Landscape in Montreal Weaves Together Icons of the City’s Expo 67
Encompassing a Buckminster Fuller–designed geodesic dome and an Alexander Calder sculpture, the intervention shows how the city is rethinking its world’s fair treasures.
