ABSTRACT
At the most fundamental level, the shape of the ground gives form to public spaces. At the city scale, the lay of the land influences the location and typology of public spaces, while at the site scale landform influences the experience and performance of those spaces. And although the leveling out of public spaces for functional purposes recurs throughout urban history, pervasive leveling of the modern city has diminished our connection with the ground beneath our feet. Through a landscape architecturally based framework, this chapter investigates strategies for re-grounding public spaces and re-amplifying engagement with the topography of the city. Specifically, the capacity for topography to influence creative participation, the role of landform as a semi-permeable frame, and the sensory nature of micro-scaled topographies are explored.
