-By Scott Slaney

City plazas are a key part of civic identity, and their role continues to evolve even today as cities, large and small, grapple with change. Why is it that some cities get it right, and some don't?

The fundamental role of the civic center dates to the origins of cities themselves, and it is no less important today. Consider the great plazas that identify a city, such as Piazza San Marco of Venice, the Spanish Steps in Rome, Trafalgar Square in London, Red Square in Moscow, or Union Square in San Francisco. One needs only to look at news headlines to see a city's identity is indelibly linked to these iconic gathering places. The Mall in Washington, D.C., not only is the "Main Street" for U.S. museums and government buildings but also is arguably the nation's podium and meeting place as evidenced by events such as Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and the AIDS Quilt, among others.

Times of civic stress are also borne out in civic plazas. Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the seat of power for dynastic rulers who built modern China, was memorialized across the world via the pro-Democracy protests.

As cities seek to maintain or expand their influence—or avoid being eclipsed—the central plaza plays a crucial role. City leaders and planners must consider several key elements in creating successful city squares or risk seeing a grand scheme become an abandoned eyesore.

Simplicity is the number-one factor for successful plazas. Remaking a main plaza is a rare once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in modern cities. Local leaders and their designers often become entangled in the gravity of it all or may fall into a trap of trying to design a plaza like the ones they've seen—large fountains, such as the Trevi in Rome, or statues and grand structures evoking the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Most city plazas are gathering places that need to accommodate annual events and civic rituals, from 4th of July parades and swearing-ins, to daily lunch-goers and casual visitors. In San Antonio, one of the south's oldest cities, Main Plaza has been a gathering place for generations but had fallen victim to decades of disuse and over-design. The city is now putting finishing touches on a remake, which accomplishes some simple but elegant objectives. The reborn plaza has more open spaces for large gatherings, yet has dramatic fountains for non-event days. These invisible, nearly-flat fountains are incorporated into walkable areas of the plaza but can be turned on to provide playful pools or dramatic cascades, depending on the situation.

Another key for San Antonio Main Plaza is its interplay with surrounding uses and daily park-goers. Informal entrances create an inviting, walkable approach that welcomes people to stroll in, and there are many spaces for people to sit for a conversation, enjoy their lunch, or read historical placards of the city's rich past.

Maintenance and safety are also critical design elements. A city's plazas must be accessible for maintenance vehicles and police, often on foot, bicycle, or even horseback. Landscaping is important for creating green space and offering a respite from the urban core, but plantings must be carefully sited to avoid creating hiding places for miscreants.

The construction materials themselves are a key issue of maintenance. Some cities find that the short-cuts to save money up-front end up costing much more when repairs and replacements are necessary. Budgeting and fundraising to afford well-crafted, enduring materials requires patience and a long view. Civic plazas should be considered "forever" spaces—cultural centers that become part of the DNA of a city.

Civic plazas also must be economic engines, which is often the most surprising and overlooked cornerstone of good design. Landscape architects and urban designers must work closely with city leaders to help maximize the city-center's potential as a source of revenue generation because plazas enhance civic pride when they are highly utilized, which hearkens to their original role as the place of commerce. Today, especially in the United States, central plazas are purpose-driven places, attracting people and creating a sense of activity and excitement. These can range from small cafes, rental services such as paddleboats in Manhattan's Central Park, or special sanctioned events. Revenue creates cash flow to maintain public plazas, relieving cash-strapped city coffers.

Yet the city square's role as an economic engine is most clearly evidenced in its surroundings. Plazas that link closely to city identity make nearby neighborhoods highly sought-after, whether for high-rise headquarters and retail centers or active residential zones. In Manhattan, the most expensive real estate—residential or commercial—is linked to its proximity to Central Park.

In China, civic centers are a city's very center of gravity, as well as commerce. One of the most interesting and enduring examples of city-center rebirth is in Hangzhou, a regional capital in Southwest China. Its city-center remake has won numerous awards, including the Urban Land Institute's first global award of excellence. Hangzhou Hubin is the city's center, and adjoins West Lake, which has been the city's point of local and national identity for centuries. The Chinese consider it one of the most beautiful spots in the nation, and it draws millions of visitors each year.

Over time, Hangzhou's growth had turned the waterfront into a fairly inhospitable urban zone, dominated by a major four-lane thoroughfare. In a project completed in 2003, the city transformed several kilometers of waterfront into pedestrian-friendly parks and plazas for daily enjoyment. The city wanted to maintain commercial vitality, but enhance access so the new waterfront functions seamlessly as mixed-purpose space accommodating vehicular and pedestrian access. Dong-Po Plaza, named for an early Chinese poet, attracts throngs of people who can walk easily from nearby business, hotel, and residential districts. One element of the solution was to divert the four-lane road through a tunnel beneath West Lake, which enables the city to maintain commerce but provides several hectares of space for tree-lined walks, grassy areas, and plazas. A focal point for Dong-Po Plaza is a new fountain within West Lake that attracts and entertains thousands at each showing.

Worldwide, in cities large and small, civic plazas that are rich with activity, simple in design, timeless in their materials, and memorable in experience, and attraction will endure over the generations to create cultural focal points that define and galvanize communities.

Scott Slaney, managing principal at SWA Group-Houston, has more than 30 years of experience in landscape architecture and urban design primarily in the United States and Asia, from community master plans to corporate campuses to private gardens.