Today’s Agenda

Last week, parks in the San Fernando Valley filled up with people made temporarily homeless by the earthquake, and we understood in new ways the value of our public spaces. This time, they were a rough but available refuge from fright.

But even in normal times, our parks and other public spaces are safety valves of a sort. As cities get more crowded, the need for space beyond one’s own dwelling grows, says architect Judith Sheine, who teaches at the UCLA graduate school of architecture. “Public spaces let us play tennis, take a walk, just get away from the family.”

Sheine came here from New York, “where people live in tiny spaces,” and have tremendous need of public space. But Southern California is growing steadily more dense and “the need is going to increase,” she says.

What makes a good public space? That’s what a new feature, Favorite Places, will look at. The only requirements for the feature are that they be places in Southern California that are free and public.

Obviously, a great big space like Griffith Park is wonderful, says Sheine. “Los Angeles is tending to form ethnic enclaves, and the larger public spaces like Griffith Park bring different ethnic groups together for shared activities, particularly recreation with children. Parks also let people know there are people who share similar recreation goals, from concerts to rose gardening.” But shopping districts, farmers markets and urban plazas can also be great public spaces.

“Grand Central Market in Los Angeles, Third St. Promenade in Santa Monica, Old Town Pasadena and Larchmont Village are small-scale pedestrian shopping areas where there is seating and food and good people-watching,” says Sheine. “It has to do with scale and use. In Italy, all the great public squares have restaurants and kiosks and public farm markets on certain days of the week. They provide a shared environment where you see people regularly, but not the same people you work and live with.”

The identifying measure of a public space is that it’s publicly owned, says architect and urban designer Chris Miller Fisher. “In Southern California, that often means the sidewalks. There’s a big difference between a street-level shopping area and a mall, which is privately owned and a regulated space.”

Are there bad public spaces? Yes, indeed, says Sheine. “In Southern California, a lot of new high-rises have ‘public spaces’ at their base, but they’re really pretty miserable. Builders were required to do this to get their building permits, but they really don’t want to attract people. So they make it barren--they build a big plaza with a sculpture and that’s all.”

Southern California “needs more kinds of public spaces,” says Fisher. “We need more places to walk your dog, enjoy grass and trees within walking distance of your home, as well as the great urban squares where people can gather for festivals and celebrations.”

Voices invites readers to suggest their favorite places. Call, write or fax--information is in the box at right.