Our Cities “Excess Capacity” for FUN
The Boston Globe’s Janelle Nanos wrote an article this week titled “Boston Has Always Been No Fun, So A Crackdown on Beer Gardens is No Surprise.” The article is in response to an outcry from residents across the Commonwealth from a perceived crackdown on loopholes in the liquor licensing laws that allow these beer gardens to get their alcohol permits. For many, it feels like another step in a long line of saying “NO” to new things, and perceived “pearl-clutching” that exists in Boston. It seems silly to have such a debate over beer gardens when there are obviously far greater issues effecting our society than drinking a cold one outdoors… but there’s far more to this debate than just a cold beer under the Boston (limited) sun.
Look to some of the most vibrant, historic cities in Europe, they have a town square, a place where everyone can spend time, converse, eat, drink, enjoy the day. Olde Towne Square in Prague, an open space surrounded by beautiful scenery, restaurants with outdoor seating, bars, beer gardens, and small markets selling local foods and wares, presents a choice on how you spend your time. Eat at an outdoor restaurant, enjoy a beer on the plaza, grab a locally made food at the market or just enjoy the day in the “center of it all” with friends. It’s not a highly curated experience, but it presents the opportunity to affordably enjoy a day with family and friends, while also presenting an organic opportunity for commerce and support for the local economy.
According to data from the United Nations, by 2050 nearly 70% of the world’s population — some 6.29 billion million people — will live in cities. That is up from just over 50% today. The question then becomes… with all those new people flooding into cities, where will all of those people gather, congregate, find space to breathe, to pause, to meet their neighbors, share ideas that might change the world?
Beer Garden’s Aren’t Just About the Beer
Flash forward to our present day, North American city. For better or for worse…it’s expensive to have “fun” today in cities like New York and Boston. Dinner, drinks, events, museums etc. all cost seemingly more and more every year and are tough to do on a day-to-day basis. These are economically vibrant cities which is obviously great, but with that come expensive experiences… nice bars… nice restaurants, great for the occasional night out, but not an every day thing for those who can’t afford it.
Beer gardens aren’t just about the beer (although I am a BIG craft beer fan)… it’s about the more casual outdoor spaces to gather with friends and neighbors, enjoy a nice day outdoors, blow off some steam from a stressful day, week… world… The bigger picture here is, how do we get to spaces where you feel like you’re in the middle of everything, enjoying multiple different experiences, at different price points, in a similar, shared space?
Spaces For People
Whether in London’s ornate arcades or Rio’s fractious favelas, whether in the high-rises of Hong Kong or the dusty workspaces of Dharavi, our culture, our prosperity, and our freedom are all ultimately gifts of people living, working, and thinking together — the ultimate triumph of the city. -Ed Glaeser in Triumph of The City
Part of the answer involves taking a step back, looking to adapt our cities for people again, as they were originally designed and where they prove to be the most productive engines they can be. Open Newbury in Boston is a great example of a passive space for residents to engage in almost an elongated “town square.” Theres opportunity to spend money on food, drink, clothing and more if you’d like, and at very low and very high price points. It was a place for residents of all incomes and demographics to gather, and by all accounts, a highly successful recurring event.
Brockton, Massachusetts recently joined this growing trend of creating spaces for people in their downtown with PROVA, a pop-up multicultural arts and performance venue, featuring a beer garden and a rotating group of restaurant vendors drawing hundreds to Downtown Brockton, who may not have otherwise patroned the area, into what had once been a vacant downtown lot slated for future redevelopment. It was recently announced that the project was so successful last summer that they will be popping up again this Summer in Downtown Brockton.
Open Minds to New Experiences and a New Vibrancy
Open Newbury and Prova Brockton were both met with early criticism and opposition by some that has since been quieted by the incredible successes of both. Both were very new concepts, opening an entire street to pedestrians, creating space for gathering on Open Newbury and taking a vacant lot and converting it to an event space, concert venue, outdoor games, food and beer in PROVA Brockton.
Our cities function best when they are built to work for it’s citizens, for people. Moving into an era of more and more populous cities will require outside the box thinking and a more open mindedness if we want to get the most out of our cities for all.
A vigorous culture capable of making corrective, stabilizing changes depends heavily on its educated people, and especially upon their critical capacities and depth of understanding. -Jane Jacobs
