P1 - Sheltered Gathering

Community Reinforcement and Economic Driver

Parramore exhibits a propensity for people to gather in unintended places.  It seems gathering on the streets is part of the culture of place and I would like to foster this camaraderie and sense of community by intervening with a sheltered gathering space.

The observed gathering spaces occur mostly on artery roads, some of which will be serviced by the expanded Lymmo shuttle service bus routes.

It is at the intersection of these two where the intervention would see the most exposure and possibility of successfully being used.

As the gathering program has the potential to change throughout the day, this shelter would serve more than one function. 

Being on the shuttle route it would become an attractive stop.  Here system users can use the shelter as a meeting spot where they can wait for the rest of their parties, or simply wait for their daily commute ride.

The community that already gathers in nearby spots during the day to socialize, could use this area to shelter themselves from the elements making it an appealing option when it is too sunny/hot for comfort elsewhere, or the common Florida rain would make gathering elsewhere less desirable.

A third group of users would get the most benefit from the shelter during the after-hours.  Homeless could use the shelter on rainy nights.

This intervention is to be developed in private property, blurring the line between public and private space.  By being developed in private property this informal gathering space will allow the opportunity for informal/unlicensed commerce.  Street vendors and performers can use this area to generate revenue and will be governed only by demand and the self regulating optimal occupancy of the space at different times; this and many other applied concepts are discussed in William H Whiteís ìThe Social Life of Small Urban Spacesî (1998).  This space will be successful as it provides many of the requisites for a small urban gathering space to thrive: people watching, proximity to arterial and busy streets, plenty of seating opportunities (one linear foot per 30 square feet min), movable chairs, water features, and tree canopies among the most important.