Public Spaces

When we are walking up and down downtown streets we have huge street front windows with interesting colorful advertisements, there are cars, bikes, people, (maybe the occasional dog sled in Fargo) and things that give energy to public spaces. However, what are does Fargo have for public entities that other cities have and have become known for (icons). For this blog I would like to suggest that these be instated in the downtown district to improve our urban fabric. However, what the heck are these features and why the heck do i want to spend public money on something like this?? So, here are some suggestions from some places that I have visited and they seem to work.

Define an Urban Square that has only needs for people on foot and can be a multi purpose space. (it would be nice if it could be used in the winter to, Fargo has this season for 6 months

Water, Basic necessity's for humans and a great feature that suggests and encourages people to stop and take a break in the public space.

Trees, These give shade, character, life, and make the city seem more livable.

This is a fountain in Chicago that rethinks a fountain and adds public art to the space at the same time.

This is Sony Center in Berlin that uses the space between buildings as a outdoor plaza then put a tent cover on the outdoor space.

These are the famous Spanish steps in Rome. Here they use a hill to there advantage and have a terraced effect to the public space and also is still functional as a stairway up the hill.

This is Placa Real, Barcelona. This urban space is great because there are night clubs at night, restaurants during the day and plenty of space to put up a stage if need be. Also the walkway around the exterior of the square is all covered and arches, trees and the fountain give it character.

This is a square in front of the old hospital in Barcelona (i don't remember the name). It had short orange trees and a small fountain (that wasn't operational). What I like about this space is that people were everywhere like it was their own backyard.