* This article was originally posted on the Design Trust for Public Space blog, "I Heart Public Space" in March 2009. This is one of many events that I coordinated and articles that I wrote while working at the Design Trust from 2006-2009.
Last Wednesday, more than 35 people gathered at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan to share in some food and drink, and to re-frame how we think about public space in the city at the fourth Public Space Potluck.
The Winter Garden proved to be a great location for the event, despite being under the watchful eye of security. To our surprise, security did not approach us, question us or ask us to leave. We were slightly worried that they would not take too kindly to our little pop-up dinner party, because although the Winter Garden is a public space, it is privately operated and maintained. One security guard did eventually ask who we were and what we were doing there. Megan responded that "we're just some people having dinner." He seemed perplexed, but also satisfied with that answer and so he let us be.
The Winter Garden is one of many public Atriums in Manhattan that exists due to zoning laws passed in the 1960's that allowed private developers to build taller buildings if they included a 'public space' on their property. According to the Gotham Gazette (in 2001):
"There are 503 such privately-owned "public spaces" in 320 buildings in New York, all but a few in Manhattan, and they are coming under increasing scrutiny. They owe their existence to zoning laws, passed in 1961 and amended numerous times since, that allowed developers to build taller structures in exchange for creating and maintaining plazas, atriums, passageways, and other spaces, all supposedly open to the public. Together, they amount to 82 acres, one-tenth the size of Central Park. In exchange, developers were permitted to add on an extra 16 million square feet of floor space."
Called the "Plaza Bonus," the regulations have been highly critcized for the lack of enforcement over their availability and upkeep, and for the vague definition of public space. Do spaces such as extra wide sidewalks and semicircular driveways add the same value to a neighborhood as a proper plaza or mini-park with benches and places to interact? The quality of the spaces that were built vary widely, as do their use. In 2001, the Department of City Planning, the Municipal Art Society, and Harvard professor Jerold S. Kayden undertook a study to examine the spaces and create a database with detailed information about each space. They found that 41% of the spaces in the database are "marginal" in their use. While 2007 zoning amendments have made requirements for these spaces more stringent, many of the older spaces remain closed, unmaintained or unaccessible.
However, despite its critics, the Plaza Bonus program has given New York some wonderful spaces such as the Winter Garden, the atrium in the Citigroup building on 59th and Madison, and Lincoln Square. On Wednesday, a group of merry diners proved that these public spaces can be put to use in unconventional ways, and that awareness of their existence can go a long way. So keep your eye out for this symbol, check out the database online to find atriums and plazas near you, and use these spaces often, because in the words of Adam Greenfield, "the city is here for you to use!"
Stay tuned for information on the next Public Space Potluck or email us to add your name to the invitation list. Also, become a fan of the Design Trust on Facebook to see more photos from this event.
Last Wednesday, more than 35 people gathered at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center in lower Manhattan to share in some food and drink, and to re-frame how we think about public space in the city at the fourth Public Space Potluck.
The Winter Garden proved to be a great location for the event, despite being under the watchful eye of security. To our surprise, security did not approach us, question us or ask us to leave. We were slightly worried that they would not take too kindly to our little pop-up dinner party, because although the Winter Garden is a public space, it is privately operated and maintained. One security guard did eventually ask who we were and what we were doing there. Megan responded that "we're just some people having dinner." He seemed perplexed, but also satisfied with that answer and so he let us be.
The Winter Garden is one of many public Atriums in Manhattan that exists due to zoning laws passed in the 1960's that allowed private developers to build taller buildings if they included a 'public space' on their property. According to the Gotham Gazette (in 2001):
"There are 503 such privately-owned "public spaces" in 320 buildings in New York, all but a few in Manhattan, and they are coming under increasing scrutiny. They owe their existence to zoning laws, passed in 1961 and amended numerous times since, that allowed developers to build taller structures in exchange for creating and maintaining plazas, atriums, passageways, and other spaces, all supposedly open to the public. Together, they amount to 82 acres, one-tenth the size of Central Park. In exchange, developers were permitted to add on an extra 16 million square feet of floor space."
Called the "Plaza Bonus," the regulations have been highly critcized for the lack of enforcement over their availability and upkeep, and for the vague definition of public space. Do spaces such as extra wide sidewalks and semicircular driveways add the same value to a neighborhood as a proper plaza or mini-park with benches and places to interact? The quality of the spaces that were built vary widely, as do their use. In 2001, the Department of City Planning, the Municipal Art Society, and Harvard professor Jerold S. Kayden undertook a study to examine the spaces and create a database with detailed information about each space. They found that 41% of the spaces in the database are "marginal" in their use. While 2007 zoning amendments have made requirements for these spaces more stringent, many of the older spaces remain closed, unmaintained or unaccessible.
However, despite its critics, the Plaza Bonus program has given New York some wonderful spaces such as the Winter Garden, the atrium in the Citigroup building on 59th and Madison, and Lincoln Square. On Wednesday, a group of merry diners proved that these public spaces can be put to use in unconventional ways, and that awareness of their existence can go a long way. So keep your eye out for this symbol, check out the database online to find atriums and plazas near you, and use these spaces often, because in the words of Adam Greenfield, "the city is here for you to use!"
Stay tuned for information on the next Public Space Potluck or email us to add your name to the invitation list. Also, become a fan of the Design Trust on Facebook to see more photos from this event.