Anti-social public plazas
There are lots of way to degrade Philadelphia's public plazas. You can fence people out, as they did at United Plaza. You can cram every inch of space with planters, as they do at Penn Center. Or, as the owners of 1601 Market Street, Transwestern Commercial Services, have discovered - you can make it ugly.
Perhaps in an effort to save money on fall mums, Transwestern has heaped the large granite planters next to the Turf Club (b'tween 16th and 17th Streets) with pyramids of tan rocks. Who do they think they are, Robert Smithson?
If there is one thing worse than a barren, windswept office plaza, it's a plaza that no one can use. The plaza at Centre Square, home of the Clothespin, is about to get a makeover. Let's hope Philadelphians will still be able to say, "Meet me at the Clothespin" after the work is done.
You can read my column about it in the Inquirer on Friday, Oct. 21. Meanwhile, tell me which plaza or park you would nominate for Most Fortified Public Space in Philadelphia.
Perhaps in an effort to save money on fall mums, Transwestern has heaped the large granite planters next to the Turf Club (b'tween 16th and 17th Streets) with pyramids of tan rocks. Who do they think they are, Robert Smithson?
If there is one thing worse than a barren, windswept office plaza, it's a plaza that no one can use. The plaza at Centre Square, home of the Clothespin, is about to get a makeover. Let's hope Philadelphians will still be able to say, "Meet me at the Clothespin" after the work is done.
You can read my column about it in the Inquirer on Friday, Oct. 21. Meanwhile, tell me which plaza or park you would nominate for Most Fortified Public Space in Philadelphia.
posted by Inga Saffron at 5:08 AM
3 Comments:
Oh the candidates are legion. While not fortified, Independence Square is a massive scar on the cityscape, whatever that "public space" next to the execreble Municipal Services building is called is vast, barren, and inhuman, even picturesque Logan Circle is near unreachable by pedestrians on a daily basis.
But the worst is poor, poor Franklin Square. Almost completely forgotten by the city, it's choked by 76 on the north, and a major highway to the east, a dangerous expanse of Arch Street to the south, not to mention having only a surface parking lot and a government building (which seems to hate the public realm) to feed it with people.
My personal nomination is the lovely, grassy park that Hahneman Hospital owns at Broad and Vine. It's completely surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. The most ironic touch is the Seward Johnson-style bronze sculpture of a man sitting on a park bench. So much better than a real human being!
Whoops. I said Independence Square when I meant Independence Mall.
I agree with Ms. Saffron's comment, however, so I'm casting my lot in with her nomination. I so thoroughly do not consider that particular spot a public space that it doesn't even enter my mind.
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