Name: Playful, wondrous public spaces built for community and possibility
Uploaded: 2021-05-24T13:16:41Z
Duration: 4 min 40 s
Description: Introducing a new type of public space, custom-fit for communities in need of a shot of hope and wonder. Artist and TED Fellow Matthew Mazzotta takes us across the US, sharing delightful projects that refresh space and place, spark collective conversation and reignite a sense of possibility and purpose in their surroundings.

Matthew Mazzotta: Playful, wondrous public spaces built for community and possibility

Playful, wondrous public spaces built for community and possibility

Introducing a new type of public space, custom-fit for communities in need of a shot of hope and wonder. Artist and TED Fellow Matthew Mazzotta takes us across the US, sharing delightful projects that refresh space and place, spark collective conversation and reignite a sense of possibility and purpose in their surroundings.

Transforming public spaces can address community challenges beyond the reach of traditional politics or infrastructure. In York, Alabama, a blighted house was rebuilt to double as an open-air theater, reigniting civic life and conversation. From lighting a park with methane made from dog waste in Cambridge to turning a Nebraska storefront into a movie theater, these projects show that shared, creative spaces help people reclaim agency and possibility. When communities gather in spaces built for them, new connections and futures become possible.