Open Public Spaces: What Makes Them Successful?

Abstract

Open public spaces have become integral to the modern city. People practice activities that express their cultures and interests in these spaces. However, this depends on the quality of open public spaces, including the factors that attract people to use them. Thus, this study aims to identify the main attributes that improve the quality of open public spaces in the context of Saudi Arabia. To do so, a questionnaire was distributed to identify the positive and negative attributes of open public spaces from users’ perspectives. The study concluded that cultural background and social experience play major roles in the functional potential of open public spaces. One main challenge is that people are not accustomed to socialising in open public spaces. The study also resulted in a set of design recommendations for open public spaces. These include the need to offer users new experiences and secure their social needs by creating spaces where people can enjoy sharing new experiences with their friends and family members.