01

A Good Public Square Promotes People Flow

Greg Coleridge on a Public Square for Public Marches: The old Public Square was a popular staging area for public marches. “In the past,” Coleridge says, “we would circle one or two of the four quadrants before going somewhere else.” He says the new Public Square won’t affect the routes of any major public marches, but “one could easily envision the new square affecting how they form.” The new design makes it far easier for a crowd to encircle the park, or walk through it, which would let a march attract more attention before setting out.

James Corner on the Promenade Ribbon: To transform the four quadrants of the old Public Square into one park, Corner’s team closed one road, reduced the width of the remaining avenue, and surrounded the park with a “promenade ribbon” that encourages visitors to walk around—and through—the park. “Those journeys, especially the diagonal ones, were not available before,” Corner says, adding that they are an essential feature of parks in which “the interaction of a diverse mix of people is allowed to really play out.”

02

Visibility is Good for Democracy

Greg Coleridge on Visibility and the Shape of Public Space: Coleridge says circle- and square-shaped spaces lend themselves to public demonstration. “Everyone can see each other and everyone has a sense of equality,” he says. But the new Public Square is neither circular nor rectilinear. “It’s an hourglass,” he says. It’s true, the new Public Square affords sightlines the old design did not—especially on the diagonals. But large swaths are separated by trees and gardens that limit visibility.

James Corner on Seeing and Being Seen: One of the great joys of a well-designed public space, Corner says, is the simple act of people seeing one another. Among Public Square’s most notable new features are its primary sight lines, which extend in long diagonals across the plaza. “Seeing and being seen, and being juxtaposed with people who aren’t really like you, is important for fostering tolerance and diversity,” Corner says. “It’s an extraordinarily social form of public life, that, in a sense, supports democracy.” He adds that democracy in action takes many forms. “It’s most dominant form is protest and large assembly, and those are important,” he says. “But I also think democracy plays out in everyday life.”

03

Cleveland’s Official Speakers Platform Will Attract an Audience

Paul Wertheimer on the Fountain: Cleveland officials will erect a speaking platform at the southern end of the park, from which people will be permitted to make 30-minute speeches between 9:30 am and 6:30 pm every day of the convention. “Any sizeable crowd will extend up to, and beyond, the fountain in front of the speakers platform,” Wertheimer says. Authorities should make sure the fountain is turned off, to ensure that people can gather there. Public Square is already pretty small, he says, and “there’s a good chance they’ll need the space.”

04

Unofficial Speakers Platforms Could Attract Audiences, Too

James Corner on the Sloping Lawn: “It’s important to support the unpredictable in public spaces,” Corner says. “I think the best spaces for free speech are the everyday spaces that are designed for generosity, openness, and flexibility.” The lawn’s edges slope inward to create a mild amphitheater effect at the lawn’s center. “It’s really intended for picnics, sitting in the sun, looking on the city,” Corner says, “but it also lends itself to larger political gatherings and events.”

Paul Wertheimer on Impromptu Speakers Platforms: Cleveland officials have forbidden the use of soapboxes and other makeshift podiums, but a recent revision to the city’s definition of “speakers platform” indicates that people can use preexisting objects and topography to exercise their freedom of speech. “If people want to stand on a curb, a bench, or at the top of a grassy hill, they can do it,” Wertheimer says.

Greg Coleridge on Multiple Speakers Dividing Audience Attention: The park is full of design elements that could serve as impromptu speaking platforms, Coleridge says—though he worries this could divide crowds rather than unite them. “Instead of addressing one whole group, you might have three different groups, three different sections, for three different speeches,” he says. “It doesn’t lend itself to a single, big event.”

05

Statues Are Rallying Points

Greg Coleridge: Before Public Square’s redesign, a statue of early 20th Century Cleveland mayor Tom Johnson in the plaza’s northwest quadrant was a popular gathering point for anticorporate protests including, for many months, an Occupy Cleveland encampment. “Johnson was a populist of a guy,” Coleridge says. Today, the preserved statue is centered on the north side of the square, in front of what Coleridge describes as a bigger, more attractive, and more connected space.

06

Police Should be Present, Not Overwhelming

Paul Wertheimer on the Importance of an Off-Site Staging Area: It’s important to have police and firefighters at the ready, but too much police presence can make an event feel confrontational. “The parking lot located across the street from the Public Square is a logical assembly point for Cleveland’s police and fire departments” Wertheimer says, “and police inside the park should be dressed in non-confrontational uniforms—no Robocop gear.” An off-site staging area for personnel, vehicles, and riot equipment can help keep public tensions in check.

Greg Coleridge on History: In the past, Coleridge says, police in Public Square have been helpful in times of protest. “They’ve stopped traffic, even when we didn’t have a permit to march in the street.” But he worries police will be less obliging during the RNC. “The new Public Square is meant to be a showcase, the crown jewel … I would imagine the police will be particularly vigilant about keeping order.” The challenge for police, he says, is to allow people—even angry people—to express themselves, without resorting to violence.

07

An Overflow Area Could Reduce Crowd Density

Paul Wertheimer on Overflow: If authorities wind up with more people than they anticipated, a designated overflow area can help keep crowds safely contained. The roads surrounding the park could afford such a space. “Authorities may decide to keep at least one side of the park closed off from overflow, or keep one of the surrounding lanes open, as an emergency lane for fire trucks, ambulances, police, and other official vehicles,” Wertheimer says.

08

A Street Makes the Space Versatile

James Corner on the Flexibility of Superior Avenue: The street that runs through Public Square is primarily a bus route, but on special occasions that bus can be rerouted and the street’s path through the park cordoned off. “You can imagine tents, festivals, carnivals being used on that space and allowing the two halves of the park to be more unified,” Corner says.

Paul Wertheimer on Public Amenities: Public Square was not explicitly designed as a site for prolonged periods of public speaking or protest, “so authorities may need to provide extra amenities,” Wertheimer says. The center of the park, which is easily accessible by people in the square as well as by emergency vehicles via Superior Avenue, is a good location for toilets, water, and first aid.