The Importance of Community Gathering Spaces in Parker
July 2023
In a lot of places, a downtown serves as the heartbeat of the community. With events, shops, restaurants, and culture, a great downtown invites people to stay, spend time, and feel like a part of their larger community. Like Urban Designer, Jan Gehl, says,
“It’s very important there’s public life in public spaces. That means people from all walks of life will naturally meet in the streets, squares and parks of the city. So you can see what society you belong to. You can see your fellow citizens eye to eye going about daily life.”
Here at P3, we recognize the importance of community gathering spaces and great public spaces as a means to bring people together. When we know one another, and our community as a whole, we can feel more grounded. In Parker, we are creating spaces throughout the town that invite people to spend time in their community and with one another.
How does P3 support and enhance our community gathering spaces?
Public Art
If you’ve lived in Parker for any amount of time, or even visited the area, you’ve likely had the chance to experience some of the public art throughout our community. We here at P3 invest and support public art because we know it not only enhances our community but also serves as a reflection of who we are.
Public Art, like our rotating sculpture program and pieces placed throughout our downtown and in O’Brien Park, invites people downtown to experience the new pieces and reflect on how they serve the community. They help create memories and serve as a focal point for visitors and residents alike.
Capital Improvement Projects
We know there’s been a lot of construction downtown this summer. This construction will bring better pedestrian access along Town & Country Village, Pikes Peak Drive, and more. Through the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) that P3 helps fund, these projects will make Mainstreet and downtown more walkable, creating a better experience for visitors.
A more walkable community makes pedestrians safer and invites people to spend more time enjoying the space. It creates a place where you can take your ice cream cone from your favorite spot along Mainstreet and walk outside in the Colorado sun to O’Brien Park, stopping along the way to view the new sculptures at the intersections and reading about upcoming community events in the shop windows.
It invites people to visit multiple locations, making downtown as a whole a destination, rather than a single location.
And it creates a space where we as a community can spend time with one another. Whether it’s walking by a neighbor while they eat outside at a great restaurant, running into a coworker at the farmers market, or meeting up with friends to try out the newest cafe, creating a more walkable community means more community gathering, which means a stronger Parker.