What is a good place for interaction? ___Good places for interaction are places where people – often from many parts of the community and/or diverse backgrounds – meet naturally and interact because of the nature or attraction of the space and/or the activities associated with it ___Good places for interaction have a reason for people to go there ___Good places for interaction have a reason for people to want to stay once they’ve arrived ___Good places for interaction feel safe and comfortable ___Good places for interaction are welcoming and accessible to everyone Why should you create good places for interaction? ___They can help to develop a sense of community pride and ownership ___They can help build a true sense of community among people of diverse origins, backgrounds, and points of view ___They can expand children’s horizons through interactions with people who have different assumptions and expectations ___They can make the community a more pleasant place to live because more people have contact with one another __ They can increase the general enjoyment of life in the community ___They can increase safety and security ___They can improve the livability of neighborhoods ___They can promote individuals’ understanding of one another’s culture and humanity ___They can provide a forum for the exchange of ideas ___They can increase equity ___They can increase social capital, particularly bridging social capital ___They can increase the chances for concerted community action and social change When should you create good places for interaction? ___When the neighborhood or community is engaged in a planning process ___When there’s an economic development initiative ___When there’s a new residential or commercial development or major building going up ___When any major municipal project is in process ___When a neighborhood or community gathering place is, or is in danger of, falling into decay or being overrun by drug dealers or others who make it unpleasant and dangerous for the community to use it ___When barriers to interaction are proposed ___When an existing good place for interaction is threatened ___When there’s tension among different groups that share an area or live in neighboring areas Who should create good places for interaction? ___The people who are going to use them ___Local officials ___Planners, architects, and designers ___Developers ___Community leaders and opinion makers ___The business community ___The police and the court system ___Community activists and community-based organizations How do you create good places for interaction? ___You design interaction into them, by giving them: Reasons for people to want to go there (things to see and do) Reasons for people to want to stay there (seating, food, etc.) Comfort and safety (quiet, movable seating, good lighting, lots of other people) Accessibility and a welcoming feeling (ramps, easy access from the street, visibility, wide entrances, signs in different languages, representations of various cultures) ___You use incentives for private developers and businesses ___You pass regulations that mandate the inclusion of interactive spaces into private and public projects ___You advocate for incentives and regulations, and for attention to be paid to spaces in a particular neighborhood or area that you’re concerned with ___You organize the community or neighborhood to use its own assets – people, institutions, physical elements, etc. – to plan and create or restore its own good places for interaction ___You keep at it indefinitely
