Local communities need many things for them to be functional and attractive places to live in. Community services like healthcare and education are often at the top priority for development. But improving your public spaces can also be a big help in boosting your community. Here are some tips on how you can make your community’s public spaces better for everyone.
Don’t Ignore The Streets
When people think of public spaces, they often immediately go to parks or a community building. However, the immediate public space that you should be developing is the streets in your community. They often get forgotten and underestimated, but there are several reasons why you should focus your interest on them. For one, they provide essential transportation in your community. Whether it is driving by car, walking foot, or biking, people get to the various places in your community through it. It would be best if you were making upgrades to them like specifying bike lanes and pedestrian zones. These thoroughfares can also become important locations in the community. For example, you can leave some space for street stalls, boosting the local economy and creating hubs for local interaction.
Make Them Multiple Use
A big mistake when designing a community space is to have it be there for a singular reason. For example, a local auditorium that is only for an occasional town hall meeting. A better approach would be to create spaces that have multiple purposes. Parks are an excellent showcase of this. People can go into the park for their recreation, have it be a location for public events, and it might act as the local meeting place for various groups. Adding upgrades like playgrounds, benches, and courts can be a great way to enhance the value of the spot. It can also ensure that people keep using the location so that they feel its true importance. The increased social activity also ensures that local criminality goes down as more people are out and about.
Create Green Spaces
Another reason for having parks is the need for green spaces. A lot of urban communities lack in gardens and places to relax. People retreat into their homes and backyards. But a local park can change all that. Research shows that these parks’ urban greenery can help greatly lower a person’s stress levels. Having access to that can be a big help to any community. But it won’t be easy to build a park, and you’ll likely have to contact a local landscape supply store to provide you with the base materials you need. A landscaping expert will also be necessary to design and construct a natural and relaxing space for all the visitors.
Learn To Activate The Spaces
After you build these public spaces, you need to learn to activate them. Many people will hesitate to use them at first, so having the local government help show the way can be a big boost to their use. For example, if you have a local basketball court, you’ll want to hold tournaments there so that people can see it is in use and you can have inquiries about rentals and usage. This also showcases the place so that people know that it is there. It can be surprising how many locals are not fully aware of local public spaces.
Link Public Health With Public Spaces
Another great way to ensure that your public spaces develop properly is by linking it to public health. People need a place to destress and workout. While they can do these at home, there is something about the outdoors that makes them better. Additionally, your public space can be an excellent space for another source of health: excellent nutrition. People need affordable fresh foods so that they can stay healthy. By linking your local public space to improving the community’s health prospects, you can have more enthusiasm for it. For example, you can have a local farmer’s market set up in a public space. This provides people with an accessible source of fresh food. You can also schedule workout sessions in the space so that people can exercise socially.
Better public spaces allow your community to develop. The advice above should help ensure that your community has the best possible spaces for your community to interact with each other. Whether it is for special events like block parties or fairs, these public spaces are important when it comes to ensuring that your people can build connections. Investing in them is an investment in the future.
