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 Great Civic Spaces in the New Millennium: Public Responsibility and Private Capacity Panelists: John H. Bryan, Jr., Tracy Metz and Glen Murray Moderated by Raymond Gastil The following white paper is drawn from the remarks of the panelists and moderator for this session, along with the questions and responses from members of the audience. This document is intended to reflect the variety of viewpoints offered during the discussion, and to frame broadly the issues discussed; it should not be taken as a formal statement of opinion by the panelists. The quality of public spaces within major cities is as important an index of cultural health as are works of art. And like works of art, civic spaces provide occasions for better understanding our society and the times in which we live. Anchored in concrete economic realities yet resonant with broader symbolism, public spaces are prime test sites for urban revitalization efforts. Increasingly, they have become the focus of such efforts. Among the critical factors in urban development projects is the mix of public and private funding. In cities such as Chicago and New York, a strong local economy can support successful appeals for private support, which eases the burden on government budgets and creates private and corporate commitment to these ventures. But in cities that are foundering economically, there is not a strong enough base to provide significant private and corporate support. In such places, the will must be found to muster government funding. Grounding such an appeal is the hope that the project's success will jump-start economic development, creating conditions that will allow the private sector to assist with future projects. Millennium Park in Chicago provides an important case study of public and private collaboration on a landmark civic project that has transformed the cultural life of a major city. Beginning with the city approaching the private sector to help fund a modest park over a subterranean parking garage, the project grew vastly in scope and ambition. The impetus for this expansion came from the private side, whose enthusiasm for involving well-known designers and artists was not on the city's initial agenda. But much of the park's success can be attributed to this embrace of the highest quality art and design. Equally important to what Millennium Park has achieved is the fact that activities and programs in the park are free to all. The park thus has become a truly democratic social space, a place of congregation and interaction that has brought culture, entertainment, and play to the center of the city. The private-public fundraising for Millennium Park was prodigious, bringing in $250 million from private sources. This was matched by the city to yield a total of $500 million, an amount that exceeded expenses and left a $30 million endowment to support upkeep and operations. Using an ambitious fundraising model—successfully identifying eight particular private funders for major elements of the park, and raising the rest from contributions that could be no less than $1 million each—the organizers appealed to, and relied on, the Chicago establishment's intense civic pride to obtain significant financial commitments from individuals and corporations. And Millennium Park has become the emblem of the city of Chicago, displacing the Sears Tower as an icon and making culture and the quality of civic life an essential part of the metropolitan self-image. The Provencher pedestrian bridge in Winnipeg, Manitoba, provides a more modest example, but one that has yielded a symbol of civic renewal for a city that was experiencing difficult economic times. As part of a larger development plan emphasizing cultural and social facilities, the bridge is a striking architectural statement that creates a public destination in the restaurant pavilion at its center. Given the poor financial condition of the city there was no private base to which the government could appeal for support, so the bridge was built entirely with public funds. But the success of the bridge and subsequent development efforts featuring culture have renewed civic optimism and generated real economic progress. Downtown property values have grown by 50%, and the increased tax revenue is being reinvested in civic improvements, which in turn are expected to continue to raise property values and expand economic vitality. In this new situation public-private partnerships have become possible, and viable. A cultural mapping process is an important preliminary step to preparing a development plan that focuses on the creative economy and lifestyle. Such a survey details, among much else, where artists and creative people are living and working, gaps in cultural and social facilities, and zoning obstacles that can be eliminated. The issue of affordable housing for artists and others also is crucial. For a critical goal of such development schemes is to make the city home to a creative and diverse population, and not just establish desirable sites of culture and leisure. Toronto and Vancouver have been active in providing artist housing and cultural amenities to ground vibrant communities within the city. And they have sought to develop such centers throughout the urban fabric rather than creating a single arts district, as has been done elsewhere. Although many cities and towns are searching for a cultural icon or architectural masterpiece to trigger civic renewal, the winning efforts of this kind—most famously the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao—are rare and are based on broader public investment. Municipalities that seek such a quick fix are easy prey to manipulation by developers or those hoping to place entertainment or other attractions. And in addition to requiring adequate groundwork, the truly successful examples of cultural investment are projects with the highest level of artistic aspiration that intend to connect with multiple audiences. Such investment also must be aimed at getting individuals to live in the city, not just to visit it. And people very much do want to inhabit cities that offer affordable housing, decent schools, security, dynamic street life, and lively cultural opportunities. Reinvigorating public spaces is an important part of creating these urban environments that are attractive to residents as well as centers of employment and entertainment. And cities do not have to give up local character in order to achieve a cosmopolitanism ethos, for the local and the global readily can be integrated. Within municipal government there often is a struggle between those who focus on cities as vehicles of civic pride and centers of creativity, and those whose decisions are based on the most frugal use of tax dollars. Examples such as those of Chicago and Winnipeg argue for investment in public spaces of great cultural ambition as critical to efforts at civic improvement and revitalization. And in the long run, such investment has proven to be one of the most economically productive uses of public funds. For citation, please reference: http://berkshireconference.org/content/2007-great-civic-spaces.cfm
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