Designing to Welcome Diversity

4 examples from cities around the country

Chess at Cascade Plaza draws people of all ages and backgrounds. Image courtesy of Downtown Akron Partnership.

When people from diverse backgrounds come together to share experiences, cities and people thrive. One study found that opportunities to encounter others in the built environment are correlated with increased well-being. Research also indicates that children who grow up in communities with more interactions across economic class are much more likely to rise up out of poverty.

With low barriers to entry, public places can act as a common ground across diversity. They are important for encouraging interactions among people from diverse economic, racial and ethnic backgrounds — a key outcome of Reimagining the Civic Commons known as socioeconomic mixing.

Today we are highlighting efforts in four cities to intentionally encourage socioeconomic mixing. These cities are designing and programming their public spaces to appeal to people of different ages and backgrounds, recognizing that when civic assets are of interest to many people for many reasons, there is greater long-term potential for connection across diversity.

For more strategies to support socioeconomic mixing through public space, download our guide Investing with Intention: Socioeconomic Mixing.

Sunset Kayak on the Mississippi in Memphis. Image courtesy of Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Memphis: Designing events that promote diversity

In Memphis’ public spaces, programs and events are an invitation for people to visit places they might not otherwise have gone and to interact with people they may not otherwise have met.

All programs are designed with a low barrier to entry, with consideration given to factors such as the cost, admission fee or equipment required. Organizers are encouraged to consider how to nudge participants to interact with one another. For example, at the Soulin’ on the River concerts and dance lessons, the emcee asks visitors to find a new dance partner. At Sunset Kayak, the DJ orchestrates races and challenges attendees to grab selfies together.

Memphis Grizzlies NBA watch parties at Fourth Bluff Park. Image courtesy of Memphis River Parks Partnership.

Events can bring people together by tapping into existing celebrations and elevating local pride. Started in 2021, Grizzlies NBA watch parties have become a communal event, with music, food and fun for everyone. These events create a sense of camaraderie among fellow fans. Each of the watch parties, held in Fourth Bluff Park, attracts thousands of Memphians of all backgrounds to cheer on the hometown team together — and this is emblematic of what downtown can be for Memphis.

Youth crafting and making art during HomeBase For The Holidays at HomeBase. Image credit: Featherstone Moments.

Detroit: A flexible home base for collaboration

Neighborhood HomeBase is a community storefront, gathering place and flexible coworking facility on the McNichols commercial corridor in Northwest Detroit’s Fitzgerald neighborhood. Opened in 2019, it was designed as a flexible space to meet multiple community needs, including economic development, while providing inviting programming and civic experiences.

The space includes a large open area that can be reconfigured into smaller rooms using three rotating walls. This allows for many uses, including meetings and conferences, exhibit space and coworking space. The building is home to local economic development organization Live6 Alliance, and partners such as the Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC), the City of Detroit Planning and Development Department and Invest Detroit often use it to host meetings and community engagement sessions. HomeBase also serves as a hub for local block clubs, nonprofits and community-based organizations. Community chess boards and other amenities provide opportunities for recreation and socializing.

Celebrating the Hawkins Apparel Company with an exhibition at HomeBase, the store’s original location. Image credit: Bre’Anna Johnston.

Neighborhood HomeBase is accessible to and shared by a diverse range of stakeholders, including residents, visitors, business owners, community groups, local organizations and government officials. The collaboration that happens here is streamlining processes for realizing a future where the Livernois and McNichols (6 Mile) commercial corridors are thriving focal points of small business and neighborhood engagement.

Yoga at Cascade Plaza in Akron. Image credit: Talia Hodge.

Akron: At Cascade Plaza, events welcome one and all

In downtown Akron, Cascade Plaza features large planters teeming with perennials, comfortable seating — and plenty of activities for anyone to enjoy. The space is home to a variety of events and programming, from chess games and yoga classes to festivals celebrating everything from Diwali to Gilmore Girls.

Inspired by Akron’s proximity to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, one of the first Akron Civic Commons activations in the plaza in 2016 was a cabin where people could work or relax outside of the traditional office setting. Adirondack chairs and a log swing set mimicked the rustic atmosphere of the nearby national park. While the cabin was temporary, people still come out of their offices and apartments to relax and enjoy Cascade Plaza.

Celebrations for Diwali at Cascade Plaza in Akron. Image courtesy of Downtown Akron Partnership.

Since then, the focus on diverse and impactful programming has continued. In 2022, 127 events took place at Cascade Plaza between May and November. Over 30 businesses and organizations collaborated on events including dance classes, roller-skating nights, movie nights, cultural festivals and weddings. Cascade Plaza was also where Dinesh Sunar earned his sixth Guinness World Record for completing the most standing, twisting backflips in 30 seconds.

“We are doing something that people enjoy. People trust us to do what it is that we do, which is get them on the dance floor.” — Carmen Payne, founder of JustUs Line Dancing Crew, which hosts line dancing classes at Cascade Plaza

Lowe’s employees plant new native and drought-tolerant shrubs at the Visitor & Education Center entry. Image courtesy of Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.

San Jose: Park renovations invite mixing on site

At Guadalupe River Park & Gardens, renovations to the visitor center and an expansion of the Rotary PlayGarden are bringing people together to learn, talk and play in an urban park environment.

Families and students in the park education program paint the mural adjacent to the visitor’s center. Image courtesy of Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.

Completed last November through the Lowe’s Hometowns initiative, the updated Visitor & Education Center welcomes people from all walks of life to learn more about the park’s flora and fauna. The local team engaged the community in the design and construction of the new amenities. San Jose-based employees of Gensler, a global design and architecture firm, provided in-kind design and painting support for the visitor center. Community volunteers, including skilled construction volunteers and National Charity League’s Willow Rose Chapter, assisted with installation and painting. And students in the park’s education program and their families were invited to help paint a new mural.

Guadalupe River Park Conservancy staff (Jason Su, Ash Namdar), City of San Jose Councilmembers (Raul Peralez, Dev Davis), County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, and Rotary Club of San Jose President Steve Borkenhagen break ground on the Rotary PlayGarden expansion in May 2022. Image courtesy of Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.

Upon opening in late May, the expanded PlayGarden will enable even more children of all abilities to participate in free play and engage with each other in a nature-inspired environment, while using brand new equipment. The existing PlayGarden opened in 2015 as San Jose’s first all-inclusive playspace with specialized equipment and surfaces to enable play for all. The expansion seeks to further broaden inclusive play opportunities with nature-forward amenities, a zip line, a labyrinth, hiding spaces and a central programming hub.

“All the improvements have become talking points that the education staff are using to engage students into caring more for their local parks and thinking critically about their experiences with nature. I’m grateful to see these developments happen and thrilled at the prospect of utilizing them for future programs.” — Katrina Semene, education program administrator at Guadalupe River Park Conservancy

Redwood Construction workers move boulders into place adjacent to the labyrinth in the Rotary PlayGarden expansion. New ziplines and shade awnings are pictured in the background. Image courtesy of Guadalupe River Park Conservancy.

Reimagining the Civic Commons is a collaboration of The JPB Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and local partners.