Retrofitting Public Space: Pathways for Adding Public Spaces in Existing Urban Fabric

Abstract

Public space is critical for urban life to thrive. Yet, a global deficiency exists in available public space, particularly in the cities of the global south, but affecting cities in the global north as well. While much attention has been paid to upgrading existing public spaces, the thorny problem of retrofitting additional public spaces in existing urban fabrics has been under researched. Grounded in a review of the value and costs of public space, it is argued that there is no ‘ideal’ amount of public space that applies universally, and that public space supply should be allowed to change over time as urban and social conditions change. Public space suffers from a directionality problem in which adding public space is much harder than subtracting public space, such as through encroachment or sale of public land. Through a comparative case study approach, this paper responds to this problem by articulating the solution space to retrofit public spaces in existing neighbourhoods through five distinct pathways, namely ‘acupuncture’, ‘superimposition’, ‘marketplace’, ‘reblocking’ and ‘plot subdivision’. It explores the particular characteristics of each approach in varied urban contexts and provides a cross-cutting typology that connects practices across a global north and south context. The five pathways are offered as a practice-oriented typology to empower planners and policymakers to make more informed urban planning and design choices.