Public Space
A square without bins becomes a square about bins
Waste is the least discussed element of public space and the one that determines whether people want to be in it.
Public Space
Squares, parks, benches and the places that cost nothing to stand in.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 2 of 2
Public Space
Lighting a park is a decision about who uses it after dark
Illuminating a green space extends its hours and changes its ecology. Leaving it dark closes it for half the year in some latitudes.
Public Space
Events pay for a square and slowly close it
Hiring out public space raises money for its upkeep. Each hire also removes the space from the people who use it for nothing.
Public Space
Dogs are the reason many parks are occupied at all
Dog walking generates daily, year-round, early and late use of open space. Most park design treats it as a nuisance to be zoned.
Public Space
Public art is commissioned last and blamed first
Art arrives in a scheme after the budget, the layout and the deadline are set. It then carries the public argument about the whole…
Public Space
Cemeteries are the green space nobody counts
Burial grounds are often the oldest continuous open space in a district, and they sit outside every park budget and most park…
Public Space
A fountain is a plant room with a public face
Water in a public space looks like the simplest possible amenity. Behind it sits pumps, filtration, testing and a permanent…
Public Space
A sports pitch allocates public land to whoever booked it
Marked pitches convert open ground into a reservation system. That is a fair way to share a scarce facility and it is not open…
Public Space
A worn line across the grass is the design report
People take the route that makes sense to them. Where that route differs from the paved one, the ground records the discrepancy.