4 ms·

Your idea of a town square is very foreign to me. I guess it’s a cultural divide, but I don’t think of a town square as a place to hang jackets and go to the to

Your idea of a town square is very foreign to me. I guess it’s a cultural divide, but I don’t think of a town square as a place to hang jackets and go to the toilet! More like killing time or people-watching while waiting to meet someone. You’re describing something like the highway rest areas I’ve visited in Japan.

barkingcat 8y ago
Usually town squares also have facilities or hookups for preparing meals (whether indoors like a prep kitchen or outdoors like a fixed bbq pit or a stone pizza oven, or at least electrical and water hookups for portable setups). An outdoors town square might have a gazebo, or a tent covered area for gathering, space to keep jackets, a place to relieve yourself during your activity (ie if it's outdoors, portapotties, or outhouse/out-building or if indoors publicly accessible washrooms) A place where community can gather for the purpose of talking/communing with one another, in a town square fashion. Protection from elements during the activity, etc. That's where I'm coming from. http://www.tresbohemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/12easter-market.jpg http://www.tresbohemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/12east... (european example) https://www.terrain.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Innovation-Center-cropped.jpg https://www.terrain.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Innovatio... (north american style, with public seating, a semicovered event platform, often times an underground parking garage with access to public washroom) My posts above were pertaining to indoors gathering spaces (hence the seats, hanging coats, etc) but either way, Apple stores do NOT resemble outdoors towns squares at all as well.
- nihonde 8y ago
  Interesting. I haven’t spent enough time in Europe to encounter these yet. It sounds very nice!
  - metildaa 8y ago
    What OP describes is pretty common in the PNW, town squares or neighborhood squares will have a number of different seating areas, restrooms, hookups so you can have a food vendor or three without stringing electric cabling and water pipes everywhere, etc. In SoCal, some towns like Oceanside have a very vibrant street fair that is very enjoyable.
  - eropple 8y ago
    FWIW, I grew up with such things in rural New England and the park an eighth of a mile of a subway stop here in Boston provides a similar value. I don't think this is just a European phenomenon--more of one where there is currently, or was recently, a sense of real community.

barkingcat 8y ago

Usually town squares also have facilities or hookups for preparing meals (whether indoors like a prep kitchen or outdoors like a fixed bbq pit or a stone pizza oven, or at least electrical and water hookups for portable setups). An outdoors town square might have a gazebo, or a tent covered area for gathering, space to keep jackets, a place to relieve yourself during your activity (ie if it's outdoors, portapotties, or outhouse/out-building or if indoors publicly accessible washrooms) A place where community can gather for the purpose of talking/communing with one another, in a town square fashion. Protection from elements during the activity, etc. That's where I'm coming from. http://www.tresbohemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/12easter-market.jpg http://www.tresbohemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/12east... (european example) https://www.terrain.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Innovation-Center-cropped.jpg https://www.terrain.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Innovatio... (north american style, with public seating, a semicovered event platform, often times an underground parking garage with access to public washroom) My posts above were pertaining to indoors gathering spaces (hence the seats, hanging coats, etc) but either way, Apple stores do NOT resemble outdoors towns squares at all as well.

nihonde 8y ago
Interesting. I haven’t spent enough time in Europe to encounter these yet. It sounds very nice!
- metildaa 8y ago
  What OP describes is pretty common in the PNW, town squares or neighborhood squares will have a number of different seating areas, restrooms, hookups so you can have a food vendor or three without stringing electric cabling and water pipes everywhere, etc. In SoCal, some towns like Oceanside have a very vibrant street fair that is very enjoyable.
- eropple 8y ago
  FWIW, I grew up with such things in rural New England and the park an eighth of a mile of a subway stop here in Boston provides a similar value. I don't think this is just a European phenomenon--more of one where there is currently, or was recently, a sense of real community.