How Community Stories Can Improve the Public Realm
Public spaces are part of our daily lives. They include sidewalks, streets, plazas, and parks where people walk, meet, and do business. For these spaces to truly serve people, planning cannot only come from the government or experts. It also has to reflect the real experiences of the people who use them. This is where peoples’ stories play an important role.
Plans are often based on data, reports, and rules. While these are useful, they don’t always show what life feels like on the ground. People's stories bring out everyday challenges and ideas. They help decision-makers see what is missing and what solutions might actually work. If you want to see how stories can shape public space, you can check out Stories from Community Transportation Leaders, a collection of real experiences.
I personally follow pages like Humans of Bombay and Humans of New York. These stories open my mind, make me more inclusive, and give me new perspectives. Even though they are not directly related to my work, they still move me. Other examples, like Stoop Stories or The Strangers Project, also show the power of listening. Everyone has a story to tell if we care to listen.
When I worked on the outdoor dining program – supporting businesses in Queens to access grant funding for their outdoor dining setups – I spoke with small business owners. Their stories gave me insights I would not have learned from a policy document. One business owner said, “This program is not for all cultures or all neighborhoods.” Another said, “Type of cuisine matters. Not all cuisines can be served outdoors. Some food can only be enjoyed in a certain indoor temperature.” Others explained how federal funding is helping small businesses, but added that outdoor dining is not just about setups. It also involves maintenance, staffing, equipment, storage, and labor. They felt funding should be used in many ways, not just for physical improvements. These stories show that outdoor dining is not the same for everyone. Culture, cuisine, staffing, and storage all matter. What looks simple on paper can be complex in real life. These conversations show how policies can improve. Outdoor dining funds often focus only on setups, but small businesses also need help with training staff, maintaining equipment, and adapting spaces to their needs. Listening to these stories can guide leaders to create programs that are more flexible and useful. Cities can make it easier for people to share their experiences by creating a webpage where stories are collected, starting a podcast where residents and business owners talk about their lives, or organizing informal meet-ups where city staff spend time with local businesses to hear their challenges. These small steps can build trust and keep leaders connected to real needs.
The impact of listening to stories is not limited to individual projects. Around the world, residents’ stories have influenced public policies. In Copenhagen, Denmark, parents shared concerns about unsafe streets for children cycling to school. The city created segregated bike lanes on school routes, which were later expanded citywide. This made streets safer, encouraged families to cycle, and helped Copenhagen become one of the world’s most bike-friendly cities. In Melbourne, Australia, young residents and late-shift workers said it was hard to travel safely at night. Policymakers responded by adding night buses and extending train services on weekends, making travel safer and more inclusive. In Bogotá, Colombia, residents shared how unsafe sidewalks and crossings were. The city created wide pedestrian zones and car-free streets at certain hours.
In Delhi, India, street vendors shared stories of harassment, displacement, and lack of recognition in city planning. These voices helped shape the Delhi Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which formalized vending zones. This gave legal recognition to vendors and created more structured public spaces. In Chennai, India, municipal offices set up drop boxes for residents to submit feedback and grievances about local services. Each month, the city posts updates on which complaints were resolved, ensuring residents’ voices are heard and acted upon. These examples show that listening to people’s experiences can create practical, effective, and inclusive urban policies.
The simple act of listening can change how we design and manage public spaces. People's stories are not just personal – they guide better, fairer, and more human planning. By listening and giving space to these voices, cities can create public spaces that truly reflect and support the people who use them.
