Why It Matters Town Squares
Summary
We have mapped the location of Town Squares in your area.
Definition
Town Squares are publicly accessible spaces that are locally identified as a central gathering/relaxation point.
Why the metric matters from a residential inhabitant’s perspective
Living in a locale that comprises a town square will generally mean that your neighbourhood has a (sometimes lively) focal point that is supporting of human activity and interaction. This creates a busier urban feel as compared to more suburban neighbourhoods. Town squares provide publicly accessible open space, and should not be gated or fenced. They are important to local residents in urban areas as they provide an extension to their living space, especially in neighbourhoods where residential properties either include no or little private amenity space.
Town squares are usually located in the geographical centre of a town or neighbourhoods and the inclusion of a local town square suggests that there is a local surrounding street network that is walkable. Town squares are generally surrounded by a range of ground floor units to support the use of the square, including retailers, restaurants, bars, cafes or convenience stores. Sometimes, the private uses hosted by these surrounding units will spill over into the public space and shape the activities that take place, e.g. café tables and chairs encouraging people to use the Town Square to eat and drink with friends.
The inclusion of steps and levels in Town Squares also encourages local people to use the open space as a meeting point and generates a friendly local buzz to encourage face-to-face community encounters. Town Squares often comprise other elements of quality design including monuments, water features and landscaping including plants and trees and generally provide very pleasant urban environments to enjoy as a local resident.
General commentary
Town squares are important to Londoners as they provide genuine publicly accessible space. They are built to be enjoyed by the public. Town Squares are significant to neighbourhoods as they allow public activities and demonstration of public opinion to take place due to their lack of governance.
Generally, the only governance that is actioned in Town Squares is by fellow community members and public citizens, and therefore allows for public engagements and events to take place including live music, political demonstrations and community gatherings.
(Photograph: David Iliff, Wikimedia Commons)
Trivia
There are not as many Town Squares (built as public open space) found in London as there are in other European cities, which are often known as plaza, piazzas or platz. Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Paternoster Square and Canada Square are all examples of larger town squares in London which are used for larger public celebrations (e.g. cultural new year ceremonies, nation days etc).
There are also many neighbourhoods in London who have acquired Town Squares in recent years through the delivery of larger mixed use developments, e.g. Barking Town Square, Windrush Square (Brixton) and Ruskin Square (Croydon). There are also a number of ‘garden squares’ in London which are often thought of as ‘Town Squares’ but often are privately gated and fenced off for the private enjoyment of local surrounding residents and often require a key for entry. We have not included private gated garden squares’ within this metric.
History
In 1931, an Act of Parliament (London Squares Preservation Act 1931) was passed to preserve London’s squares as they were being threatened with demolition. This is still enacted today. It seeks to to protect certain squares, gardens and enclosures in Greater London.
It limits the use of London Squares to ‘ornamental pleasure grounds or grounds for play, rest and recreation’, and the only buildings and structures allowed are those which are ‘necessary or convenient for, and in connection with, the use and maintenance of such squares.