Octavia Hill (1883:) Homes of the London Poor
Much has been written about the value of community or social spaces. Octavia Hill, one of the key figures in establishing The National Trust, was formidable in advocating the need for social space suggesting that the public need “places to sit in, places to play in, places to stroll in, and places to spend a day in”. More recently, a report by the Joseph Rowentree Foundation (JRF) highlighted the contribution public spaces make to community life and how people use them.
One (very) early observation about life in Tel Aviv (which I believe is replicated throughout Israel) is the emphasis placed on maintaining public spaces. Granted, the amount of space in Tel Aviv is limited, particularly any green space (other than the sanctuary in the midst of all the concrete, the Hayarkon Park) but wherever there is communal space two things are apparent.
Firstly, any facilities placed in the space are both clean and well maintained. Examples include; public toilets, outdoor and free to use gym equipment, cold water fountains and children’s play areas. Secondly, the general public’s access to the public facilities are not controlled, monitored or restricted. Consequently, throughout the day and late into the night, you will come across all generations - young and old - using and sharing the same communal space. This, at the very least, provides a visual interaction between young people and adults within the same communal space - something more often than not that is lacking in London.
Before I left London, I paid a visit to The Museum of London’s Street Photography Exhibition where a collection of photographs from the late 19th century to present day were displayed. What was particularly striking was to see how many pictures showed young people playing and ‘hanging out’ on the streets. I’m certainly not harking back to ‘the good old days’, however in England, over the last ten years there has been an alarming reduction in the amount of free cosmmunal space young people can socialise in without being asked to move on or be seen as trouble-makers. This was reiterated in the JRF report which highlighted that by allowing young people to play or simply ‘hang out’ fosters local attachments which are at the heart of local communities. Following the Summer's riots in London, maybe it's time for local authorities and the voluntary sector to work together to re-examine how London organises and manages its communal space?
