As the numbers of vehicles in high-density urban areas diminish, cities will have to reclaim and repurpose the fallow public space left behind to create a rich, vibrant tapestry that’s tailored to humans rather than machines. Using the dimensions of a single parking spot as the modular building block, Public Square is a concept that proposes an incremental and interlocking tile system that’s flexible, easily deployable, unitized and infinitely scalable, from one spot to one street to a whole district and even city-wide. The footing of each square contains power and water infrastructure as well as WiFi and “smart street” technology. Each one can host multiple uses, from green space to retail opportunities.
Concept: Public Square
Firm: FXCollaborative, USA
Team: Jack Robbins with Ben Abelman, Sam Frommer, Carol Hsiung and Brandon Massey
Public Square, an FXCollaborative project, imagines an interlocking tile system that could reclaim space formerly occupied by vehicles – it earned a 2018 AZ Award of Merit in the Ideas/Prototypes category.
