I have always been fascinated by public spaces and places. From the Greek agoras to the Roman Colosseum, to Italian piazzas and the French sidewalk culture to British parks and gardens, public spaces have been a hallmark of civilization.

How many zillion cups of coffee or sips of wine have been enjoyed over the millennia? How many lovers have rendezvoused, revolutions been plotted, politicians politicked, novels written, and lives lived in these public spaces?

Yet there has been a tendency, particularly in North American cities, to be restrictive rather than permissive about the use of public spaces. Perhaps that is a hangover (you should pardon the expression) from our puritanical approach to liquor laws.

But, more and more, cities are discovering the beauty and benefit of letting the people reclaim their public spaces. Surely there is nothing worse than a "DO NOT WALK ON THE GRASS" sign in a public park. What must kids think?

Montreal, among some others, has been leading a new wave of thinking about public places and spaces. For example, you can sip a glass of wine in a park. Toronto tried a limited edition of that this past summer, and the world did not end. Perhaps greater relaxation of these types of restrictions will allow citizens to enjoy their public parks even more.

Closely tied to that is the effort to allow moveable furniture in public places. The traditional standard for cities was to chain chairs down and fasten tables to forbidding stakes in the ground. Places such as Bryant Park in NYC and Luxembourg Gardens in Paris have learned that allowing people to move a chair in a park, perhaps under a shady tree or to converse with friends, gives them a certain possession of that public space. There have been few problems.

Public art can be a stunning addition to the fabric of any community. So can great architecture. Governments tend to be timid and boring when designing public buildings. The brutalist style of architecture from the 1950s-70s, for example, can be seen in every city in Canada: big, forbidding, concrete, dull buildings.

Too often governments give up innovative style and design for a penny-pinching budget. A magnificent bridge can make a statement. The Sydney Opera House is now the iconic symbol of that bustling city.

Too often municipalities over-regulate their public places. When COVID hit, many cities moved quickly to allow patio dining in parking spaces, and other unique ideas. Recently, many of those have become over-regulated and expensive. Small businesspeople are often discouraged rather than supported. Yet they are the types of business that generate the buzz downtown that attracts people.

And that is the key message: Just as success breeds success, people attract people.

Too often cities close a downtown street to cars and then watch in dismay as the public votes with their feet. Yet is the city planting live trees? Are they offering public art and entertainment? Are they working with local businesses to develop sidewalk attractions? Is the lighting good? Is it FUN?

City councils should be constantly rethinking their public spaces and places. They are a treasure. They are worth the investment of time and money.