Adaptive Public Space Places for People in the Pandemic and Beyond A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF SEVEN SITES IN AKRON, DETROIT, PHILADELPHIA, AND SAN JOSE MARCH 2021 ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT Gehl evaluated the impact of seven public spaces Gehl / New York 395 Hudson Street, 8th Floor — each funded in part by Knight Foundation — in New York, NY 10014 Akron, Detroit, Philadelphia, and San Jose. Between September 2020 and February 2021, Gehl engaged www.gehlpeople.com a range of stakeholders and leveraged a mix of data [email protected] sources to uncover challenges and opportunities unique and common to these projects. Enclosed are the findings from this process. GEHL KNIGHT FOUNDATION Matthew Lister Evette Alexander Managing Director Director of Learning & Impact Julia Day Lilly Weinberg Director Senior Director of Community Eamon O’Connor & National Initiatives Project Manager Kyle Kutuchief Olivia Flynn Program Director, Akron Designer Rebecca Cook Designer Adriana Akers Reference Sofie Thorsen Reference Knight Foundation & Gehl 2 Contents INTRODUCTION Executive Summary 4 Overview of Public Spaces Studied 12 FINDINGS 2020 in Focus 16 1 / Everyday Public Space 20 2 / Residents at the Center 30 3 / Community Ripple Effect 40 4 / Sustaining in the Long Run 50 CONCLUSION Considerations for the Field 58 APPENDICES 1 / Methodology 64 2 / Online Survey Analysis 70 3 / Social Media Analysis 76 3 Adaptive Public Space EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This study of seven flagship public spaces reveals how local leaders generated impact through their responsiveness to community needs — laying the groundwork for more equitable outcomes and greater resilience during the pandemic. uilding on its longtime The Approach Everyday Public Space: How do commitment to design and programming shape public spaces, Knight Located in Akron, Detroit, visitors’ use of and engagement with the space? Foundation commissioned Philadelphia, and San Jose, BGehl — a global urban planning, the seven projects in this study Residents at the Center: How design, and strategy firm — to represent $5 million in direct conduct an impact assessment of does the space reflect, welcome, Knight investments. An additional and empower those who live in the seven public spaces in its portfolio. $50 million in co-funding and community? The findings illustrate the power follow-on investments from other of public space as a platform funders including the Reimagining Community Ripple Effect: What for community development: the Civic Commons network went broader impacts is the space having whether by building resident trust, toward these sites, wider area on the community, city, and beyond? spurring social activity, supporting improvements and ongoing space economic and workforce operations. The spaces range Sustaining in the Long Run: How development, or catalyzing widely: neighborhood parks that does the project sustain operationally neighborhood change. give residents a go-to gathering and financially over time? spot; nature spaces that re-engage This power makes public spaces a locals with the outdoors; and COVID-19: Are residents visiting key ingredient in the recovery from citywide destinations that offer art these projects amid the pandemic, and how are operators adapting to COVID-19 — a crisis that has raised studios, beachscapes, and more. new conditions? the stakes for overcoming deeply rooted, systemic challenges in our Given the diversity of spaces, this The Gehl team gathered pre- and cities. For policymakers, funders, study did not set out to measure mid-pandemic data from multiple and practitioners, these findings the spaces against one another sources, including: interviews and are a call to action. By elevating using a common set of metrics. The focus groups with over 50 people public spaces, leaders nationwide goal was to understand impacts (including grantees, city government can drive more equitable outcomes related to four core themes, and to leaders, volunteers and artists-in- in the pandemic and beyond. life during the COVID-19 pandemic: residence); an online survey of over Knight Foundation & Gehl 4 800 respondents near each space; programming, historic character, 67 percent felt the spaces were existing and new observational data and the arts invited regular essential to their neighborhoods — on space use; and an analysis of over activity. Across the board, 82 figures that rose for neighborhood 450 posts of geotagged Instagram percent of survey respondents parks especially. activity. The findings that follow are feel positively about these the result of this multi-method study. projects and 59 percent visit at Participatory engagement least monthly. The two multi- methods helped build this resident The Findings functional neighborhood spaces belonging and attachment. For — Detroit’s Ella Fitzgerald Park example, at Akron’s Summit Lake Public spaces manifest in the and Philadelphia’s Centennial Park — which used prototypes physical world, but what really Commons — had the highest to engage residents during the makes them tick is people. As such, rates of regular visitors. Over half design process — 97 percent of Knight develops partnerships with of respondents visit both spaces respondents felt the project had communities on the ground and at least weekly, suggesting they changed their neighborhood for invests in projects that support offered locals ample reasons to the better, up from 57 percent at the more than design and construction visit — from basketball courts start of the project. Ella Fitzgerald — funding, for example, and playspaces, to porch swings Park and Centennial Commons, engagement processes, incubation and warm-weather movie nights. which adopted similar engagement of new ideas, and workforce The presence of art and historic approaches, also saw the greatest development. In many cases, architecture also helped drive levels of weekly visitors, enthusiasm, Knight and other philanthropic engagement. For example, and attachment. These projects funding sources help absorb risk Philadelphia’s Cherry Street also saw higher rates of attachment for an innovative new concept and Pier — an arts space housed in among Black respondents — catalyze additional investment. a revitalized waterfront site — indeed, near neighborhood parks, had the most active Instagram 79 percent of Black respondents This people-centered model is engagement of all projects, with agreed the space was “special to generating impact. A common over 21,000 followers. me,” compared to 70 percent of all ingredient? High-quality design respondents. and programming that reflected Challenges to everyday use and adapted to local needs. This centered on barriers to access. But for many projects, building approach is what spurred resident For example, the Freight Yard trust among communities of visits and attachment, and what at Detroit Riverfront sits below- color remains a challenge. This enabled these public spaces to grade — a dynamic that deterred was especially true at nature weather disruptions to public life pop-up businesses from posting spaces, for example, where 45 during the COVID-19 pandemic. up at the space, and that leaves percent of Black respondents Even still, project leaders are some visitors asking for more agreed the space was “special confronting and addressing wayfinding. Upcoming investments to me,” compared to 56 percent challenges inherent to public space will address connectivity of all respondents. “[Local management: from site-specific challenges: the Dequindre Cut will Black residents] don’t always barriers to access, to longtime eventually integrate into a 26-mile feel encouraged because they resident distrust. trail under development by the don’t feel outdoor spaces or City, which will improve access and environmental work have always Impacts are organized into five key visibility to multiple neighborhoods. been for them,” says Izzy Nelson, areas. Where possible, findings Community Engagement Manager were compared across space — for Philadelphia Outward Bound types and across all projects, RESIDENTS AT THE CENTER School (POBS) at The Discovery Center. Over time, community- keeping in mind that intended centered programming is starting project outcomes varied. Community participation allowed to draw in more locals to the project organizers to build project; events include mommy- — trust with residents, which in and-me workshops and a talk EVERYDAY PUBLIC SPACE turn increased use and sense of on environmental racism. attachment to the spaces. Across Projects that supported quality all projects, 81 percent of survey design, resident-centered respondents felt they fit in, and Continued on page 8 5 Adaptive Public Space Top Learning from a diverse set of public spaces in Akron, Detroit, Findings Philadelphia, and San Jose Public spaces with a strong foundation of resident engagement helped communities address equitable access and weather the pandemic together. EVERYDAY PUBLIC SPACE Ella Fitzgerald Park in Detroit (left) and Centennial Projects that supported Commons in Philadelphia — flexible neighborhood quality design, BREE GANT PHOTO: spaces — had the most regular visitors, with 54 resident-centered percent visiting each programming, historic at least weekly. Cherry Street Pier, an arts space character, and the arts on a historic Philadelphia pier, spurred the most invited regular activity. Instagram activity. More starting on page 20 RESIDENTS AT THE CENTER The Discovery Center in Philadelphia has Community participation drawn locals with events including mommy-and-me allowed