Town square
A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square,
urban square, or piazza) is an open public space,[1] commonly
found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true
geometric square, used for community gatherings. Related concepts
are the civic center, the market square and the village green.
Most squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets, concerts,
political rallies, and other events that require firm ground. Being
centrally located, town squares are usually surrounded by small
shops such as bakeries, meat markets, cheese stores, and clothing Piazza della Signoria, in Florence,
stores. At their center is often a well, monument, statue or other Italy, a historic example of a
feature. Those with fountains are sometimes called fountain traditional public square
squares.
Contents
By country
Australia
China
Germany
Italy Announcement of the establishment
Indonesia of the State of Slovenes, Croats and
Iran Serbs on Congress Square in 1918
The Netherlands and Belgium
Russia
Spanish-speaking countries
United Kingdom
United States
See also
References
External links
By country
Australia
The city centre of Adelaide and the adjacent suburb of North Adelaide, in South Australia, were planned
by Colonel William Light in 1837. The city streets were laid out in a grid plan, with the city centre
including a central public square, Victoria Square, and four public squares in the centre of each quarter of
the city. North Adelaide has two public squares. The city was also designed to be surrounded by park
lands, and all of these features still exist today, with the squares maintained as mostly green spaces.[2][3]
China
In Mainland China, People's Square is a common designation for
the central town square of modern Chinese cities, established as
part of urban modernization within the last few decades. These
squares are the site of government buildings, museums and other
public buildings. One such square, Tiananmen Square, is a famous
site in Chinese history due to it being the site of the May Fourth
Fountain in People's Square in Movement, the Proclamation of the People's Republic of China, the
Shanghai, China 1976 Tiananmen Incident, the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests,
and all Chinese National Day Parades.
Germany
The German word for square is Platz, which also means "Place",
and is a common term for central squares in German-speaking
countries. These have been focal points of public life in towns and
cities from the Middle Ages to today. Squares located opposite a
Palace or Castle (German: Schloss) are commonly named
Schlossplatz. Prominent Plätze include the Alexanderplatz, Pariser
Platz and Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Heldenplatz in Vienna, and the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart, Germany
Königsplatz in Munich.
Italy
A piazza (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpjattsa]) is a city square in Italy,
Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. San
Marco in Venice may be the world's best known. The term is
roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza. In Ethiopia, it is used to
refer to a part of a city.
When the Earl of Bedford developed Covent Garden – the first
private-venture public square built in London – his architect Inigo
Piazza Navona and the Fontana Jones surrounded it with arcades, in the Italian fashion. Talk about
(fountain) del Moro in central Rome, the piazza was connected in Londoners' minds not with the square
Italy. The fountain in the background as a whole, but with the arcades.
is Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
A piazza is commonly found at the meeting of two or more streets.
Most Italian cities have several piazzas with streets radiating from
the center. Shops and other small businesses are found on piazzas as it is an ideal place to set up a business.
Many metro stations and bus stops are found on piazzas as they are key point in a city.
In Britain, piazza now generally refers to a paved open pedestrian space, without grass or planting, often in
front of a significant building or shops. King's Cross station in London is to have a piazza as part of its
redevelopment. The piazza will replace the existing 1970s concourse and allow the original 1850s façade to
be seen again. There is a good example of a piazza in Scotswood at Newcastle College.
In the United States, in the early 19th century, a piazza by further extension became a fanciful name for a
colonnaded porch. Piazza was used by some, especially in the Boston[4] area, to refer to a verandah or front
porch of a house or apartment.[5]
A central square just off Gibraltar's Main Street, between the Parliament Building and the City Hall
officially named John Mackintosh Square is colloquially referred to as The Piazza.
Indonesia
A large open square common in villages, towns and cities of Indonesia is known as alun-alun. It is a
Javanese term which in modern-day Indonesia refers to the two large open squares of kraton compounds. It
is typically located adjacent a mosque or a palace. It is a place for public spectacles, court celebrations and
general non-court entertainments.
Iran
In traditional Persian architecture, town squares are known as
maydan or meydan. A maydan is considered one of the essential
features in urban planning and they are often adjacent to bazaars,
large mosques and other public buildings. Naqsh-e Jahan Square in
Isfahan and Azadi Square in Tehran are examples of classic and
modern squares.
The Netherlands and Belgium
Azadi Square in Tehran, Iran
In the Low Countries,
squares are often called
"markets" because of their usage as marketplaces. Most towns and
cities in Belgium and the southern part of the Netherlands have in
their historical centre a Grote Markt (literally "Big Market") in
Dutch or Grand-Place (literally "Grand Square") in French (for
example the Grand-Place in Brussels and the Grote Markt in
Antwerp). The Grote Markt or Grand-Place is often the location of
the town hall, hence also the political centre of the town. The
Grand-Place in Brussels, Belgium
Dutch word for square is plein, which is another common name for
squares in Dutch-speaking regions (for example Het Plein in The
Hague).
In the 17th and 18th centuries, another type of square emerged, the so-called royal square (French: Place
royale, Dutch: Koningsplein). Such squares did not serve as a marketplace but were built in front of large
palaces or public buildings to emphasise their grandeur, as well as to accommodate military parades and
ceremonies, among others (for example the Place Royale in Brussels and the Koningsplein in Amsterdam).
Palace squares are usually more symmetrical than their older market counterparts.
Russia
In Russia, central square (Russian: центра́льная пло́щадь, romanised: tsentráĺnaya plóshchad́) is a
common term for an open area in the heart of the town. In a number of cities, the square has no individual
name and is officially designated Central Square, for example Central Square (Tolyatti).
Spanish-speaking countries
The Spanish-language term
for a public square is plaza
([ˈplasa] or [ˈplaθa]
depending on the dialectal
variety). It comes from
Red Square in Moscow, Russia, a Latin platea, with the
view from the northwest, showing meaning of 'broad street' or
historic St. Basil's Cathedral and the 'public square'.[6]
Spasskaya Tower or "Saviour Tower" Ultimately coming from Plaza Mayor of Madrid, Spain
Greek πλατεῖα (ὁδός)
plateia (hodos), it is a
cognate of Italian piazza and French place (which has also been borrowed into English).[7]
The term is used across Spanish-speaking territories in Spain and the Americas, as well as in the
Philippines. In addition to smaller plazas, the Plaza Mayor (sometimes called in the Americas as Plaza de
Armas, "armament square" where troops could be mustered) of each center of administration held three
closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cantabile or administrative center, which might be
incorporated in a wing of a governor's palace, and the audiencia or law court. The plaza might be large
enough to serve as a military parade ground. At times of crisis or fiestas, it serves as the gathering space for
large crowds.
Diminutives of plaza include plazuela and the latter's double diminutive plazoleta, which can be
occasionally used as a particle in a proper noun.[8]
Like the Italian piazza and the Portuguese praça, the plaza remains a center of community life that is only
equaled by the market-place. A plaza de toros is a bullring. Shopping centers may incorporate 'plaza' into
their names, and plaza comercial is used in some countries as a synonym for centro comercial i.e.
"shopping center".[9]
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, and especially in London and Edinburgh, a "square" has a wider meaning. There
are public squares of the type described above but the term is also used for formal open spaces surrounded
by houses with private gardens at the centre, sometimes known as garden squares. Most of these were built
in the 18th and 19th centuries. In some cases the gardens are now open to the public. See the Squares in
London category. Additionally, many public squares were created in towns and cities across the UK as part
of urban redevelopment following the Blitz. Squares can also be quite small and resemble courtyards,
especially in the City of London. In London the most impressive example which does not incorporate
gardens and which is surrounded by historic buildings is probably Trafalgar Square. In Halifax, the recently
restored Piece Hall has been described as a piazza rivalling many in Europe.
United States
In some cities, especially in New England, the term "square" (as its Spanish equivalent, plaza) is applied to
a commercial area (like Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts), usually formed around the
intersection of three or more streets, and which originally consisted of some open area (many of which have
been filled in with traffic islands and other traffic calming features).
Many of these intersections are irregular rather than square.[10]
The placita (Spanish for "little plaza"), as it is known in the
Southwestern United States, is a common feature within the
boundaries of the former provincial kingdom of Santa Fe de Nuevo
México. They are a blend of Hispano and Pueblo design styles,
several of which continue to be hubs for cities and towns in New
Mexico, including Santa Fe Plaza, Old Town Albuquerque, Acoma
Pueblo's plaza, Taos Downtown Historic District, Mesilla Plaza,
Mora, and Las Vegas Plaza. Los Angeles Music Center Plaza
In U.S. English, a plaza can mean one of several things:[11]
a town square, as in the Spanish usage
"any open area usually located near urban buildings and often featuring walkways, trees
and shrubs, places to sit, and sometimes shops"
a shopping center of any size
a toll plaza, where traffic must temporarily stop to pay tolls
an area adjacent to an expressway that has service facilities (such as restaurants, gas
stations, and restrooms)
Today's metropolitan landscapes often incorporate the plaza as a design element, or as an outcome of
zoning regulations, building budgetary constraints, and the like. Sociologist William H. Whyte conducted
an extensive study of plazas in New York City: his study humanized the way modern urban plazas are
conceptualized, and helped usher in significant design changes in the making of plazas. They can be used
to open spaces for low-income neighborhoods, and can also the overall aesthetic of the surrounding area
boosting economic vitality, pedestrian mobility and safety for pedestrians.[12] Most plazas are created out of
a collaboration between local non-profit applicants and city officials which requires approval from the
city.[13]
Throughout North America, words like place, square, or plaza frequently appear in the names of
commercial developments such as shopping centers and hotels.
See also
Cathedral Square
List of city squares
List of city squares by size
Urban vitality
References
1. Dyer, Hadley (2010). Watch this Space: Designing, Defending and Sharing Public Spaces.
Illustrated by Marc Ngui. Toronto: Kids Can Press. pp. 8–3, 78. ISBN 978-1-55453-293-3.
2. The Adelaide Park Lands and City Layout (https://web.archive.org/web/20191022015417/htt
ps://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/c04bdff3-d299-4665-a401-922846833dbb/f
iles/adelaide-park-lands.pdf) (PDF). Australian Heritage Database: Places for Decision:
Class: Historic. For consideration for National Heritage List. Australian Government. Dept for
the Environment, Water, Heritage & the Arts. 9 July 2007. Archived from the original (https://
www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/c04bdff3-d299-4665-a401-922846833dbb/files/
adelaide-park-lands.pdf) (PDF) on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
3. Anderson, Margaret (31 December 2013). "Light's Plan of Adelaide 1837" (http://adelaidia.s
a.gov.au/panoramas/lights-plan-of-adelaide-1837). Adelaidia. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
4. Gaffin, Adam (1995–1997). "The Wicked Good Guide to Boston English" (http://www.bu.edu/
mfeldman/Boston/wicked.html). Boston University.
5. "Piazza". Oxford American Dictionary. 2001.
6. Lodares Marrodán, Juan Ramón (2005). "Aventuras y desventuras etimológicas de Cerdá
en torno a su "indicador urbano" de la urbanización" (https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/CyTET/
article/view/75565/46043/242044). Ciudad y Territorio: Estudios Territoriales. Madrid:
Ministerio de Fomento. 37 (144): 583. ISSN 1133-4762 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1133-
4762).
7. "Plaza" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plaza). Reference.com. plaza (http://dictionar
y.reference.com/browse/plaza). "plaza" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plaza).
Reference.com. πλατεῖα (https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.
04.0057:entry=platu/s). Liddell, Henry George; Scott, Robert; A Greek–English Lexicon at
the Perseus Project.
8. Regúnaga, Alejandra (2005). "Morfología derivativa: consideraciones en torno al uso de
diminutivos en la ciudad de Santa Rosa (La Pampa-Argentina)" (https://repo.unlpam.edu.ar/
bitstream/handle/unlpam/3431/n09a13regunaga.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y) (PDF).
Anclajes. Santa Rosa: Universidad Nacional de La Pampa. 9: 261. ISSN 1851-4669 (https://
www.worldcat.org/issn/1851-4669).
9. "plaza comercial" (https://www.linguee.com/spanish-english/translation/plaza+comercial.htm
l). Linguee. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
10. Woodruff, Andy (16 June 2010). "Boston Squared" (http://andywoodruff.com/blog/boston-squ
ared/). Andy Woodruff. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
11. "Plaza" (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plaza). Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
12. "Public Plazas" (https://web.archive.org/web/20150907063254/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/h
tml/pedestrians/public-plazas.shtml). New York City DOT. Archived from the original (http://w
ww.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/pedestrians/public-plazas.shtml) on 7 September 2015. Retrieved
30 August 2015.
13. Bloomekatz, Ari (11 March 2012). "Silver Lake Gets an Unusual New Park Space" (http://arti
cles.latimes.com/2012/mar/11/local/la-me-silver-lake-space-20120311). Los Angeles Times.
Retrieved 10 October 2015.
External links
Pitlane Magazine.com: "The Hidden Origin of the Town Square" (http://www.pitlanemagazin
e.com/society-and-lifestyle-other/the-hidden-origin-of-the-town-square.html)
BBC.com: "The Violent History of Public Squares" (http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/201412
03-blood-on-the-streets)
"This research initiative is an attempt to rediscover the lost or neglected urban symbols. The
Urban Square is a city's 'heart and soul' and that is the focus of this project." (http://urbansqu
ares.com)
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