Inclusive by Design: Laying a Foundation for Diversity in Public Space

What does it mean for a public space to be “well-designed”? Is it about how it looks? How it works? How it feels? And for whom?

The look, feel, and function of a public space - its design - determines who can navigate to and within a space, to whom it appeals, and what types of activities can take root there. While thoughtful programming may attract a diversity of people, bad design can make that programming ineffective or impossible, and make potential users feel uncomfortable and unwelcome.

The Project for Public Spaces emphazises, that design often wrongly overshadows the other factors that make a public space active and inclusive, and design alone can rarely achieve these goals. But it does provide an important foundation.