The Power of Public Places in the Developing World

Public places are essential in the lives of poor people. The wealthy have backyards and vacation homes and private clubs. The poor have the street and, if they're lucky, a schoolyard or park.

It’s easy to dismiss rising interest in public spaces as something that only the wealthy can afford to worry about. But take a look at any bustling place anywhere in the world — from the markets of Africa to the squares of Latin America to the street corners of North America — and you’ll find it’s poor people who depend on public spaces the most.

Enrique Peñalosa — former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia — notes that rich people enjoy the pleasures of big homes, backyards, private clubs and country houses. Poor people have only their local street to hang out in—and if they’re lucky, a park, library or playground nearby. He made public spaces the centerpiece of his administration, creating or refurbishing 1,200 parks and playgrounds, establishing 300 kilometres (186 miles) of bike trails, building 13 libraries and inaugurating the world’s longest pedestrian street running 17 kilometres (10 miles) through the city. Since leaving office he has become a globe-trotting ambassador helping out cities from Jakarta (Indonesia) to Dakar (Senegal) improve life for their citizens. “Public spaces are not a frivolity,” he asserts. “They are just as important as hospitals and schools. They create a sense of belonging. This creates a different type of society. A society where people of all income levels meet in public spaces is a more integrated, socially healthier one.”

Public spaces also play a key role in countries learning the ins and outs of democracy. The New York-based group Project for Public Spaces (PPS) promotes squares, parks and other community places as a symbol of civic participation in Eastern Europe, where authoritarian regimes not only controlled all levels of government, but kept strict tabs on public gathering spots. In the Czech Republic, citizens wanting to reclaim the public realm have formed the Partnership for Public Spaces, which works throughout the country on projects ranging from cleaning up streams in small villages to refurbishing a major square in Prague. In the war torn Balkans, revitalized squares and markets offer hope that communities can be brought back together. Croatia is planning a nationwide public places program, similar to that in the Czech Republic.

In Capetown, South Africa, the Dignified Places Programme is developing a public spaces strategy to help heal racial wounds and instill the city with a sense of unity. Louise Grassov, a project manager at the Copenhagen urban consulting firm Gehl+Associates, has been involved in the far-reaching initiative, which hopes blacks can acquire a sense of ownership in a city where for many years they were not allowed to enter without permission. The immediate goals, Grassov says, include, “getting more affordable housing in the centre of the city and giving back some dignity to people who walk rather than drive cars.”

The proliferation of autos is an issue all across the developing world, where the streets have historically been a commons where people gathered to talk. Walter Hook of the New York-based Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) sees a number of signs in Asia, Africa and Latin America that people are realizing it’s a mistake to pursue the same kind of auto-dominated development that has created environmental problems and eroded the vitality of public life in the West — especially in countries where the great majority of people can never afford a car. The World Bank has recently backed off from its auto-oriented development guidelines, while cities like Bogotá provide new models of urban development with a strong emphasis on public spaces. A number of other cities around the world are now creating pedestrian districts for people to gather. Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China and Cartagena, Colombia’ offer successful examples; Delhi, Jaipur and Hyderabad in India are in the planning stages.

“People in the U.S. now recognize there are problems with building cities for cars and not for people,” Enrique Penalosa says, “and we in the Third World need to know that.”