OPEN: New Designs for Public Spaces

OPEN: New Designs for Public Spaces
June 1st, 2007 to August 19th, 2007
MOCACleveland

I know I have been harping on Cleveland's public square lately and I think that I can be justified in that. You see, I was looking for a new abode, someplace different to hang my hat. Currently I reside in Lakewood, a western suburb surrounded on the south and east by Cleveland proper and was debating moving into one of Cleveland's rehabbed West Side neighborhoods to practice all what I preach. Mostly I was very excited about the prospect of riding my bike to work each day (without turning into a ball of sweat).

I have spent quite a bit of time not only trying to find a place that is the right size (I need a home office of SOME sort), the right price as well as a location that would negate the need of an automobile (not that I would get rid of it right away but I have no problem putting it in storage). I have come to the uncomfortable conclusion that I would, in effect, be paying a premium of sorts to move into Cleveland and would have to give up a totally walkable and accessible lifestyle that I currently enjoy in one of my fair city's inner suburbs.

Granted that seems counter intuitive but I can currently walk to 3 different large grocery stores, at least 3 record shops, bike shops, a guitar shop, movie theatre, ridiculous amounts of bars and restaurants, churches, parks, coffee shops, ICE CREAM places, etc etc etc etc. I tried to find a local with similar connectivity in the city of Cleveland and came up abundantly short. Granted there are some pockets of concentrated use, Tremont and some areas of Ohio City, but to me they still seem to support an automotive dependent culture. They have become almost bedroom communities whereas one must commute not only to and from work but also for basic needs such as groceries or entertainment.

What does this have to do with an exhibit on public spaces? Possibly everything. In some respects Cleveland is a remarkable failure in terms of public spaces. Public Square, what should be the grand daddy of all of Cleveland's public spaces has severely limited access to any retail support that would create a street life. Granted, during the lunch hour there are people there but since Cleveland mostly closes down at 6pm you would be hard pressed to find people in the square in the evening or during the weekend. Currently it also enjoys a major disruption of the vehicular patterns that once restored could annihilate the ease and current comfort of the space.

The Mall(s) in Cleveland also suffer from a lack of residential prowress and commercial support. It saddens (and angers me) how the city rolls up the carpet in the evening and becomes and urban ghost-town. I don't know if it is a lack of support for small business owners, fear of financial failure, lack of creativity, or over-endulgantly-obese-nonefficient beauracracy that stifles small business growth or what, but the town is severly lacking the amenities to support it's current residential load and that strongly hampers the growth of Cleveland's population.

Can a well defined/created public space create enough of a centralized icon to spur growth and instill change? Well that is what the MOCA exhibit is primarily about. There will be about 30 international examples of new public space design and developments and the battles which ensued to create those places.

I have seen the book from the original exhibit at the Van Alen's Institute and it is, in a word, amazing. The imagery is solid and sound and the ideas conveyed are all different in complexity and intent.

check out the book here

It should be an interesting exhibit. Also, wish me luck in finding a new place!