The Romance of Public Space

Picture this iconic moment in a five-acre Bed, Bath, and Beyond parking lot, somewhere in Central New Jersey.

For Valentine’s Day, Leonard Lopate interviewed the author, Ariel Sabar, about his research on the role of public space in chance meetings between strangers.  The audio is here.  From WNYC.org:

Ariel Sabar, whose own parents met in Washington Square Park, tells the true stories of nine ordinary couples—from the 1940s to the present—who married after first meeting in one of New York City’s iconic public spaces. He tells those stories in Heart of the City: Nine Stories of Love and Serendipity on the Streets of New York.

It’s interesting to think about how much value we could add to our suburban communities with land use codes that emphasized the importance of real, shared public spaces.  The interview discussion hints at this a little bit toward the end.