Ten Principles for Creating Successful

Squares
Small details add up to great places.
S
quares have been a core focus of PPS beginning with our first project 30 years ago--
Rockefeller Center's Channel ar!ens" #e've hone! the ten principles below base! on the
hun!re!s of squares--the goo! an! the ba!--that we've analy$e! an! observe! since then"
#hat stan!s out %ost is that !esign is only a s%all fraction of what goes into %aking a
great square" &o really succee!' a square %ust take into account a host of factors that
e(ten! beyon! its physical !i%ensions"
1. Image and Identity
) popular square in Copenhagen' *en%ark"
+istorically' squares were the center of co%%unities' an! they tra!itionally helpe! shape
the i!entity of entire cities" So%eti%es a fountain was use! to give the square a strong
i%age, &hink of the %ajestic &revi -ountain in Ro%e or the Swann -ountain in
Phila!elphia's .ogan Circle" &he i%age of %any squares was closely tie! to the great
civic buil!ings locate! nearby' such as cathe!rals' city halls' or libraries" &o!ay' creating a
square that beco%es the %ost significant place in a city--that gives i!entity to whole
co%%unities--is a huge challenge' but %eeting this challenge is absolutely necessary if
great civic squares are to return"
2. Attractions and Destinations
hirar!elli Square' San -rancisco"
)ny great square has a variety of s%aller /places/ within it to appeal to various people"
&hese can inclu!e out!oor caf0s' fountains' sculpture' or a ban!shell for perfor%ances"
&hese attractions !on't nee! to be big to %ake the square a success" 1n fact' so%e of the
best civic squares have nu%erous s%all attractions such as a ven!or cart or playgroun!
that' when put together' !raw people throughout the !ay" #e often use the i!ea of /&he
Power of &en/ to set goals for !estinations within a square" Creating ten goo! places'
each with ten things to !o' offers a full progra% for a successful square"
3. Amenities
Circular benches provi!e a co%fortable place to sit in Rockefeller Center' 2ew 3ork City"
) square shoul! feature a%enities that %ake it co%fortable for people to use" ) bench or
waste receptacle in just the right location can %ake a big !ifference in how people choose
to use a place" .ighting can strengthen a square's i!entity while highlighting specific
activities' entrances' or pathways" Public art can be a great %agnet for chil!ren of all ages
to co%e together" #hether te%porary or per%anent' a goo! a%enity will help establish a
convivial setting for social interaction"
4. le!i"le Design
&ennis on the square' Copenhagen"
&he use of a square changes !uring the course of the !ay' week' an! year" &o respon! to
these natural fluctuations' fle(ibility nee!s to be built in" 1nstea! of a per%anent stage' for
e(a%ple' a retractable or te%porary stage coul! be use!" .ikewise' it is i%portant to have
on-site storage for %ovable chairs' tables' u%brellas' an! ga%es so they can be use! at a
%o%ent's notice"
#. Seasonal Strategy
&he holi!ay %arket in 2ew 3ork's 4nion Square"
) successful square can't flourish with just one !esign or %anage%ent strategy" reat
squares such as 5ryant Park' the pla$as of Rockefeller Center' an! *etroit's new Ca%pus
6artius change with the seasons" Skating rinks' out!oor caf0s' %arkets' horticulture
!isplays' art an! sculpture help a!apt our use of the space fro% one season to the ne(t"
$. Access
) short pe!estrian crossing at Pla$a Santa )na in 6a!ri!' Spain"
&o be successful' a square nee!s to be easy to get to" &he best squares are always easily
accessible by foot, Surroun!ing streets are narrow7 crosswalks are well %arke!7 lights are
ti%e! for pe!estrians' not vehicles7 traffic %oves slowly7 an! transit stops are locate!
nearby" ) square surroun!e! by lanes of fast-%oving traffic will be cut off fro%
pe!estrians an! !eprive! of its %ost essential ele%ent, people"
%. T&e Inner Square ' t&e (uter Square
roun! floor retail rings the e!ge of this square in 8erona' 1taly"
8isionary park planner -re!erick .aw 9l%ste!'s i!ea of the /inner park/ an! the /outer
park/ is just as relevant to!ay as it was over :00 years ago" &he streets an! si!ewalks
aroun! a square greatly affect its accessibility an! use' as !o the buil!ings that surroun!
it" 1%agine a square fronte! on each si!e by :;-foot blank walls -- that is the worst-case
scenario for the outer square" &hen i%agine that sa%e square situate! ne(t to a public
library, the library !oors open right onto the square7 people sit outsi!e an! rea! on the
steps7 %aybe the chil!ren's rea!ing roo% has an out!oor space right on the square' or
even a bookstore an! cafe" )n active' welco%ing outer square is essential to the well-
being of the inner square"
). *eac&ing (ut +i,e an (ctopus
) great square reaches out into the surroun!ing neighborhoo!' like Pia$$a 6aggiore in
5ologna' 1taly"
<ust as i%portant as the e!ge of a square is the way that streets' si!ewalks an! groun!
floors of a!jacent buil!ings lea! into it" .ike the tentacles of an octopus e(ten!ing into
the surroun!ing neighborhoo!' the influence of a goo! square =such as 4nion Square in
2ew 3ork> starts at least a block away" 8ehicles slow !own' walking beco%es %ore
enjoyable' an! pe!estrian traffic increases" ?le%ents within the square are visible fro% a
!istance' an! the groun! floor activity of buil!ings entices pe!estrians to %ove towar!
the square"
-. T&e Central *ole of .anagement
)ttentive %aintenance is an essential part of goo! %anage%ent in St" Stephen's reen'
*ublin"
&he best places are ones that people return to ti%e an! ti%e again" &he only way to
achieve this is through a %anage%ent plan that un!erstan!s an! pro%otes ways of
keeping the square safe an! lively" -or e(a%ple' a goo! %anager un!erstan!s e(isting
an! potential users an! gears events to both types of people" oo! %anagers beco%e so
fa%iliar with the patterns of how people use the park that waste receptacles get e%ptie!
at just the right ti%e an! refresh%ent stan!s are open when people %ost want the%" oo!
%anagers create a feeling of co%fort an! safety in a square' fi(ing an! %aintaining it so
that people feel assure! that so%eone is in charge"
1/. Di0erse unding Sources
Sponsorships can help fun! events like -esta 1taliana in Portlan!'s Pioneer Courthouse
Square"
) well-%anage! square is generally beyon! the scope of the average city parks or public
works !epart%ent' which is why partnerships have been establishe! to operate %ost of
the best squares in the 4nite! States" &hese partnerships seek to supple%ent what the city
can provi!e with fun!ing fro% !iverse sources' inclu!ing--but not li%ite! to--rent fro%
caf0s' %arkets or other s%all co%%ercial uses on the site7 ta(es on a!jacent properties7
fil% shoots7 an! benefit fun!raisers"