Providing rich, high-quality public spaces and cultural resources
In today’s fast-paced, information-overloaded world, many people spend the majority of their day either at home, where they must address the needs of their individual families, or at work, where they face the challenges of making a living. If people are to lead balanced, productive, and healthy lives they need places and activities that allow them take a break from the stressful aspects of day-to-day living and enjoy special, unique and new experiences. These places and experiences make up a “third place,” in addition to home and work, that provides residents with opportunities to relax, recreate, build community, and be inspired. In order to help residents enjoy the third place, the City of Mesa must seek to provide rich, high quality public spaces and cultural resources throughout the city. The City of Mesa, in conjunction with other individuals, groups and institutions, is committed to implementation of the following principles for providing rich, high-quality public spaces and cultural resources that will attract people to work, live, and recreate here. The design and development of public spaces will include attention to the following key elements: »» Accessibility and connectivity – be easily accessible and well connected to surrounding uses and activities
»» Activity – have a variety of activities that will attract different people and be active for much of the day »» Appropriate scale – be sized to look active without being overcrowded »» Integration of uses and activities – integrate the activities in the public space with surrounding uses »» Providing an inviting and comfortable environment – provide shade, seating, and other amenities to make it a comfortable place to be »» Safety – design the space so it looks and feels safe
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»» Providing a unique character – provide a unique character to each space to give it a greater sense of identity