Yes We Can

"The spatial affects the social and the social affects the spatial." These words from Edward Soja's The City and Spatial Justice suggest a give and take between social forces and spatial forces, which I agree is true. However, the catalyst for most successful social spaces - organic social spaces, not pre-designed social spaces - is the social. 

Burnside Skatepark, Portland, Oregon

Spaces do not normally change by sitting stagnant. It requires some new input. The skatepark under the overpass in Portland was a guerrilla movement led by skaters to create a place where skaters could shred rails and hit vert without bothering the public. The space they created is one of the longest lasting public skateparks in the country, partially responsible for pushing the sport out of the hands of private enterprises and competitions and letting anyone interested learn the sport. This is an excellent example of the social affecting change on the spatial.

An interesting project to watch in this upcoming summer is the Asheville Design Center's undertaking to change The Pit, an unused eyesore of a lot in the heart of downtown Asheville, into a usable social space for the citizens of the city. I believe that if the ADC does not solicit a large amount of community input, they will not create a successful space. Simply designing a nice pocket park is not enough, they need input from the social to change the spatial, or else they will simply be changing the shape of one unused space to create another unused space. When changing spatial, you MUST gain input from the social. 

The Pit of Despair, Asheville, North Carolina