It seems that there’s been a lot of hype surrounding the Making Public Places forum hosted by Balmori + Associates that will take place tomorrow, Monday June 13th, on Twitter. The topic will be to discuss how to make an urban space a public place.

While I’ve witnessed some events on Twitter, I didn’t follow them consistently as it seemed a bit disjointed and awkward. While Twitter is a social networking site and it seems to be transforming the way people interact through web space, I still think that when it comes to true discussion, Twitter doesn’t strike me as the most appropriate venue given how the site handles replies. But I’ll check it out and perhaps I’ll be proved wrong. I’d definitely like to see how it will flow with a large number of people following along at the same time.

Just in case you haven’t seen the event, here’s the info:

HOSTED BY DIANA BALMORI + BALMORI ASSOCIATES
With an international group of 40 Dutch landscape and urban design students
and their professor Erik de Jong

July 13, 2009
1pm EST

Twitter your comments with hashtag #mpplaces
follow @balmorilab

Although the forum is a conversation on Making Public Places in general,
We are using our neighborhood in NY – (the Meatpacking District – Gansevoort Plaza) the project of streetscapes and public space – to kick-start the conversation. (which will include twitter, live web and students walking the neighborhood-sketching and conversing). We will formalize the conversation during the forum with various invited professionals.

CASE STUDY
Meatpacking District (MPD) / DOT Streetscape: Temporary Solution 2
The NYC Dept of Transportation is re-visioning traffic throughout the city and employing a system of bike paths, street closings and new traffic alignments in order to both create public space and make traffic more efficient and safer. They came up with a series of barriers, seating and planters for the MPD. The IDEA of managing traffic and creating areas and street furniture for public space is very much appreciated, but the selection of materials and layouts are questionable.

Our task is to imagine the public spaces created by the new traffic alignments and design a language of street furniture and planting that helps define the space.

The simplicity and openness of the plaza before the existing furniture was added was very nice. It will be important to capture this character or open public space that is inviting and traffic safe.

images via Balmori + Associates