If You Build It... Will They Come? (Ignite Baltimore 6 - Scotty Walsh)

The link between active artistic communities and flourishing economies has been well established (see: Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class), as has the importance of creating accessible and "active" public spaces. But how exactly are those spaces created?

Much time and money is spent in an effort to perfectly design public spaces, but hardly any time or money is spent in an effort to manage and cultivate those spaces once built. It is as if well designed spaces are expected to activate themselves; as if society suffers from the collective delusion that, "If you build it, they will come."

Good design is only the beginning. From street players and marionettes in Italian Piazzas to puppet theaters, carousels and wooden boats in Parisian Parks, hundreds of years of history point the way to "active" public spaces. Despite the age of this information, or perhaps because of its age, this information is often ignored—and most American public spaces today are considerably underused.

Considering the cost of designing and building spaces, the subsequent activation of that space is a relative bargain. Under certain conditions, or with particular partnerships, this activation can even be budget neutral—or profitable. Designing and building a space well is only the beginning. Afterward the space becomes a living organism and must be managed as such.

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People & Blogs

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• Ignite
• Baltimore

[linsabebe]

Thank you for doing this. I'm going to use this video to try to activate my community.