Public spaces include streets, sidewalks and plazas, as well as parks and community facilities such as a library, historic district, or local museum. These areas present opportunities for designing and locating amenities that will support social interaction that is critical to successful communities. They can be enriched by incorporating elements that reflect traditional local design. Streetscapes can be enhanced with special paving, lighting fixtures, information kiosks, benches, landscaping and public art. Towns can also create a sense of place by establishing gateways into their towns or village centers with special signage, distinctive landscaping or public art.
Public art is an underestimated feature that increases people's use and enjoyment of public spaces.
Cities have commissioned local artists to design everything from commemorative statues to bicycle racks to highway underpasses. The aim is to make stations more user friendly and safer while enabling the public transit experience to be more pleasant and convenient. While it is important to improve the station, it is even more critical to improve pedestrian access from residential and commercial districts to the station . Station area designs and development incentives should be adopted to enhance the pedestrian character around the stations, introduce mixed-use developments and allow dense residential neighborhoods. The intention is to conserve open space and limit the development's impact on water resources and other critical natural features while developing on remaining portions of the land.