Community-Oriented Public Spaces and New Urban Experiences

Rethinking Shared Life Through Landscape Architecture

In contemporary cities, public spaces are no longer defined solely as areas for circulation. They are increasingly becoming platforms for social interaction, collective experiences, and everyday life. Shifts in lifestyle after the pandemic, climate challenges, and growing urban density have placed community-oriented public space design at the center of contemporary landscape architecture discourse.

This approach repositions users not as passive visitors, but as active participants who shape, use, and transform public spaces over time. As a result, public realms become more inclusive, adaptable, and deeply embedded in daily urban life.

What Are Community-Oriented Public Spaces?

Community-oriented public spaces are designed to bring together diverse user groups, support social interaction, and encourage shared ownership. These spaces prioritize social sustainability alongside environmental performance.

Typically, they:

• offer flexible and multi-functional uses,

• support everyday activities,

• invite user participation,

• foster a strong sense of belonging.

How Are New User Experiences Emerging?

1. Flexibility and Multi-Use Spaces

Instead of fixed programs, contemporary public spaces embrace flexibility. A single landscape can function as:

• a meeting point during the day,

• an event space in the evening,

• a social platform on weekends.

This adaptability ensures continuous activation throughout the day.

2. Blurring the Line Between Public and Domestic

New public spaces soften the boundaries between private and public life. Informal seating, shared tables, open-air kitchens, and semi-private corners allow users to appropriate space and create personal connections with their surroundings.

3. Landscape as a Social Catalyst

Vegetation, shade structures, and topography no longer serve purely environmental functions. Thoughtfully designed landscape elements guide movement, encourage encounters, and support spontaneous social interaction.

4. Participatory Design Approaches

Community-oriented spaces often evolve through user engagement. Workshops, temporary installations, and pilot projects allow landscapes to develop as living systems rather than fixed outcomes—strengthening long-term ownership and care.

Skab’s Perspective: Public Spaces as Social Ecosystems

At Skab, we approach public spaces not only as physical environments, but as social ecosystems. Our design process focuses on:

• understanding diverse user profiles,

• responding to daily rhythms and seasonal change,

• using landscape elements to support social interaction,

• integrating climate comfort into everyday public life.

For us, a successful public space is one that evolves with its community and remains meaningful over time.

Looking Ahead

Community-oriented public spaces play a vital role in strengthening urban resilience. By supporting inclusivity, social equity, and shared experiences, these landscapes contribute to more livable and connected cities.

In the future, public space design will be less about creating objects and more about cultivating collective life.

References

• Gehl, J. (2011). Life Between Buildings: Using Public Space.

• Whyte, W. H. (1980). The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

• UN-Habitat (2020). Public Space and Social Life.

• Project for Public Spaces (PPS). Community-Based Public Space Design.

• Selected articles on public space and conviviality from Landezine.