Aug. 17, 2020
Bryant Park was a parade ground and open space circa 1847 in New York City. The gigantic Croton Distributing Reservoir was there, and in 1884 the name was changed to honor abolitionist William Cullen Bryant. In 1899 the New York Public Library and a new park were added, but by the 1970s it was principally known as “a haunt for drug dealers, prostitutes, and homeless people.”
That began to change in the late 1980s. The author got involved in the early 1990s, and they tried something unique. Rather than just throwing a lot of money at the park and hoping it would become nice, the renovation team talked to people who lived in the neighborhood to find out what they wanted from the public space
“Central to the success of Bryant Park was that it was a triumph of small ideas. It was not the product of grand design. Its restoration was about excellent maintenance and programming rather than extensive capital improvements. “It was based on their close observation of how people behaved in the park, once it was reopened, and building on what worked and dropping or re-engineering what didn’t. “
They learned from Bryant Park “that no place has problems so unique that it can’t benefit from learning from the successes of other places.” The process that they created is called, “Placemaking”. It worked great in New York City in Bryant Park, and in a historic and culturally critical section of Jamaica, Queens, a place that was once the de fact of capital of Long Island. Right after WWII it was one of the few places in the region where African-American families could purchase single-family homes. It was filled with high-profile cultural innovators. By the later 20th century it needed an overhaul, and the author was one of the team that re-imaged it using “placemaking.”
So what are the basic strategies of Placemaking? First, make no “grand plans”. Instead make small changes and take small steps, learning as you go. Second, you must make people feel safe there. Perception is critical. Third, Placemaking takes patience, which is really a virtue.
“Placemaking practice should become at least as important in smaller cities and towns as it is in big city public spaces and downtowns.” Small cities often have many of the same issues that big cities do: property that goes to seed because the businesses moved out and the owner won’t spring for repairs. The author makes the point that since smaller cities have people who are even more separated by space than larger communities, there becomes a critical need for public spaces where all kinds of people can interact. Rather than staying on social media, enjoy getting to know your actual neighbors!
We’ll spend some very pleasant time with Andy Manshel discussing his new book, “Learning from Bryant Park: Revitalizing Cities, Town and Public Spaces” from Rutgers University Press. Won’t you join us this Sunday Aug. 23 on WTBF’s ON THE BOOKSHELF?