Editorial Board Message

In this issue, we bring you a round table and two features on the theme of “Democracy.”

For the round table, we wrestle with the question of whether an open space or park can be inherently democratic by design. Naturally, consultation in design is essential to the democracy of a place: who’s at the table, how are the consultations structured, what is the format, and at what stage are various stakeholder brought into the project. But are there design elements that either promote or prevent the expression of democracy, in its many forms? I had the pleasure of moderating the conversation, and I think our guests yielded some fascinating responses.

In “Are Public Spaces Ever Truly Public? A Queer Perspective,” Ground editorial board member Mark Hillmer explains how the LGBTQ+ community, as well as other marginalized people, experience things like parks through a different lens than, say, a straight, white person might, and provides some positive examples of “truly public” spaces across the globe. And Ground editorial board member Matt Lundstrom shows us how a “Friends Of...” organization in a downtown Toronto park can help steward a place for every park user, including the unhoused who are living there.

Finally, we always reserve space in our summer issue to celebrate OALA members and projects who have earned CSLA and OALA awards for their contributions to the profession. I know you’ll find plenty of inspiration in those pages.

Please enjoy! And, if you want to participate in the creation of your OALA magazine, always feel free to reach me at the address below.

Glyn Bowerman
Editor
[email protected]