Beyond traditional measures: Examining the holistic impacts of public space investments in three cities – Hanna Love & Cailean Kok

Holistic impacts of public space developments in three US cities – Flint, Alburquerque & Buffalo

This piece is published on the Brookings Institute. 

Summary: In this piece published in July 2021 in the Brookings Institute, two researchers look at the distribution of the impacts of public space developments and find that they are not always even. Those in poorer or more marginalised neighbourhoods often miss out on some of the positive impacts. 

The authors compare the experience of public developments in three US cities in Michigan, New Mexico and New York state. They assess the economic, civic and cultural impacts of public space developments. 

They delve into the importance of place governance and place management as an important tool to ensure that connections between communities and developed places are fostered to lead to better outcomes for the wider community and more community connectedness.

There’s lots to learn and read here.  

Read the full study here.