Movable Squares To Give Life To Idle Streets During Holidays And Weekends In Buenos Aires
Plaza Movil (Movable Square) is a transportable public space to give neighbors new places to meet and play, occupying streets in days in which transit slows down in Buenos Aires. Designed by Designo Patagonia as an entry to the Livable Cities award, it seeks to improve the lives of people who don't live next to good public spaces or who don't have the means to get to them.Pop up parks and ephimerous amusement spaces are not strange to TreeHugger, but the Movable Square idea presents some interesting points in itself.
The actual square is actually a set of games, seating arrangements and green accessories that are transported in a van, traveling through different streets of neighborhoods during holidays and weekends.
Instead of being just a one-time event, the idea is to create a system which can be managed by the neighbors and local authorities to bring recreational facilities and spaces where they're most needed.
And instead of fighting urban space dedicated to transit, it just makes use of it when it's not needed by cars, which makes it easier to implement.
Having won the second prize of the Livable Cities competition, the idea has been granted a 25,000 euros award, which will be destined to build a prototype and get at least one Movable Square in the street.
According to Manuel Rapoport, head designer of the winning firm and previously featured at Treehugger, the idea is that it sparks the interest of local authorities, so that it can be replicated into many squares that can go around different areas of Buenos Aires, and even spread to other cities in Latin America and the world.
For more on this project or on Designo Patagonia's work, contact them through their website.
