Downtowns face many challenges today, but one is often overlooked: barren expanses of concrete, six-foot-tall planters, an uninspired bench, dead grass (if any even exists), blank walls – you get the idea.  These spaces are often called plazas, but their lack of design and investment renders them boring and uninteresting – enter the “blah-za.”  These spaces do not deserve your pity.  They deserve your scorn.   

Close your eyes and think of your own city.  I’m sure you can picture a blah-za.  But our guess is that many others are invisible to you – blind spots in our downtowns that offer nothing.  These are not places people go by choice. Some were clearly “leftover” space, coming in at odd angles, while others were required by city codes.  When we require open spaces but leave out requirements that might create inviting places, we are left with gaps along our streets and missed opportunities to support local businesses. 

These desolate public areas often come from good intentions. Rapid growth inspired efforts to protect city residents’ quality of life, to make sure there would be space, air, and light within increasingly dense corridors. Cities implemented open space requirements for new construction, and some allowed developers to build taller if buildings were set back further from the street or if they provided a public amenity, such as a plaza.  NYC experimented with this early and recognized that their good intentions in many cases didn’t result in a better street.  

If COVID reinforced any obvious intuitions many planners and designers had about cities, it is that what happens at the street level drives the economy.  And today, in the wake of COVID, with the future of office and retail uncertain, it’s more important than ever to offer unique experiences that bring people together.  To quote the man credited with founding street life studies, William H. (Holly) Whyte, “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.” 

One might think this is a small problem; but blah-zas come in many different forms, and they tend to proliferate.  Their many variations add up quickly and, together, present a defensive and unwelcoming vibe.  In one city, blah-zas account for almost 35 acres of space along critical downtown streets.  In another, the historic core includes over 10 acres of blah-zas encompassing approximately 65% of the total green space downtown.  

We have worked to characterize and measure blah-za’s across our work in downtowns and retail districts

Despite their negative impact, these snorefests are not prioritized.  Shiny new development and major projects take precedence while blah-zas remain.  In light of concerns about downtown safety since the pandemic, it is even more important to do something about these spaces that perpetuate negative stereotypes.  We need to change the mindset that downtowns are best marketed with pictures of skyscrapers and streaky highway lights to one that instead promotes what it’s like to be there and walk along the streets. 

The past few decades gave us new tools to enliven some of these spaces.  Placemaking; “lighter, quicker, cheaper”; tactical urbanism – whatever you choose to call it, there is greater awareness that small investments can make a difference.  This has undoubtedly been good for cities.  Best practices and lessons-learned have helped many organizations build the confidence to buy some umbrellas and create better spaces.  But these spaces are also commoditized right down to the chairs, tables and games we see in cities across the country.  

Quick fixes can be a temporary measure, but true change – something that takes a blah-za and transforms it into an actual plaza – requires more than movable chairs.  It requires sustained investment. Thankfully some cities are tackling this need head on.  Macon is transforming a wide median into an active playground that will help attract families Downtown.  Philadelphia went on a binge of creative investment in spaces – Dilworth Plaza, Sister Cities Park and the Spruce Street Harbor Park are now major destinations in places that were once overlooked or used as pass-throughs.  

This issue needs more attention or we will continue to approve and “design” spaces that result in little to no benefit to businesses that need more customers.  Leaders often look for big, transformative projects that will shape their downtowns.  What could be more transformative than treating your downtown like a playground that brings people back time and time again?