EPISODE 24: PUBLIC SPACE AND EQUITY: NEW RESEARCH ON COMMUNITY-LED PUBLIC SPACES
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a record usage of America’s public spaces, underscoring their important role in community resilience. COVID-19 also gave community leaders an unexpected moment of permission: it allowed our cities to innovate and think far beyond the confines of traditional public spaces. How can we leverage this moment in time — as billions of dollars are being released for infrastructure projects — to build more inclusive, equitable public spaces moving forward? On Episode 24 of “Coast to Coast,” we’ll unpack findings from forthcoming research from Knight and Gehl on community-led, equitable public spaces that serve and engage communities in the pandemic and beyond.
EPISODE RESOURCES
- Published today, a Knight Foundation report conducted by Gehl evaluates 7 public spaces in the U.S. to identify their successes and make recommendations for their improvement: kf.org/adaptivespace
- The Knight Report, “Adaptive Public Space: Places for People in the Pandemic and Beyond,” finds that public spaces that reflect the needs of residents received more visitors: kf.org/placesforpeople
- Knight’s Lilly Weinberg and Evette Alexander share their thoughts on the newly published Knight Foundation report, which evaluated the impact of public spaces: kf.org/equitablespaces
PROVIDED BY GUESTS
- Gehl uses a people-first approach to urban planning to create a future where people have more control over the communities they live in: gehlpeople.com
- Centennial Parkside is led by residents and organizations and seeks to preserve and revitalize the community with initiatives around healthy living, civic engagement and the arts: centennialparkside.org
- Reimagining the Civic Commons is transforming the way communities can manage civic assets to foster equity, engagement, economic development and environmental sustainability: civiccommons.us
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