officials , and art critics that may have otherwise been hostile to the project blessed it because it was presented as a three-month experiment .
But short-term can also be the harbinger of something more enduring . In urban planning , short-term action is used to test , inspire , and build momentum around a longer-term goal . With less taxpayer money at stake , communities can attract broader audiences and test before they invest . Under the guise of pilot projects , the New York City Plaza Program , spearheaded by the New York City Department of Transportation , has successfully transformed 39 acres of paved roads into public plazas . Starting first by converting underutilized lanes and blocks into temporary plazas with planters , paint , and moveable chairs , the Plaza Program proved to New Yorkers that the plazas were a value add . By initially labeling the plazas “ pilot ,” the City was able to build political will to transform the temporary plazas into permanent pedestrian experiences . Most notably NYC DOT experimented with folding lawn chairs in Times Square in 2009 . Today , Times Square is entirely pedestrianized .
The tactic of the temporary leaves room for stranger stuff and bigger gestures . Permanence can be paralyzing ; temporality can be liberating .
From a solo to a symphony
Single-purpose parks that surround a monument are going the way of the bronze statue . Today , designers approach landscape architecture as a platform for , and a full participant in , diverse creative activity . By creating spaces that are flexible for future needs , public spaces can maintain cultural relevance and build resilience over time .
As Nina and Sasaki ’ s work on the Lawn on D vividly demonstrates , the landscape itself serves as a flexible framework for experimental art and programming . As a temporary park , the Lawn on D is putting design ideas and public art to the test . The flexibleuse outdoor space , adjacent to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center , and commissioned by the MCCA , is designed as an experimental ground for programming public space . It has successfully hosted community events and programs including neon swings , dance lessons , and a even a brood of inflatable bunnies .
Both of us recognize these emerging directions in our work , and in the work of fellow practitioners . Like the sound of distant thunder , these intriguing experiments in public art tell us that there ’ s something just beyond the horizon . Will this diffuse , undefined movement calcify into a trend , and then , like all trends must , become irrelevant ? Will we see the category of public art gradually disappear as hybrid forms of city-making and art-making infuse the public imagination ? Or will we , in our vainglory , continue to erect statues and obelisks that have for millennia defined city skylines ?
If anything , our experience has convinced us that boundaries — professional , definitional , geographic — are ever-expanding , with art-makers and citymakers brushing up against new territories , from ecological resiliency to social activism . As the boundaries shift , the most exciting stuff is located at moments of intersection , moments of ambiguity and drift . And that ’ s where we ’ ll plant our stake . For now .
F . Philip Barash leads place branding at Sasaki Associates , where he works with clients to define and express the unique character of their sites and structures . His travel writing and design criticism regularly appear in national publications .
Nina Chase , ASLA is an Associate at Sasaki Associates . She works at the intersection of landscape architecture and urban design , planning and designing award-winning public spaces in cities . The past three years , Nina served as the Chair of the BSLA Emerging Professionals Committee . She is Adjunct Lecturer at Northeastern University ’ s Urban Landscape Department .
Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
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