Gerben Helleman
banner
gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Gerben Helleman
@gerbenhelleman.bsky.social
Posts about the connections between the Planned and the Lived City #playfriendlycities #childfriendlycities #publicspace #cities #outdoorplay #play #childhood #geographer #playspaces #childrensgeographies #urbanism #urbanplanning #citylife #citiesforpeople
And suddenly the market square in #Delft (The Netherlands) becomes an open-air cinema...
#placemaking #publicspace
#urbanphotography #streetphotography #cinema
August 19, 2025 at 7:27 PM
This is the 'Gelbe Affe' (Yellow Monkey) in #Düsseldorf, #Germany. This #mural was created in 2012 by the Majo Brothers, an artistic duo consisting of Marc and Joe Hennig.
#streetphotography
#urbanphotography
#urbanart #streetart
#graffiti #Deutschland
August 18, 2025 at 3:05 PM
With a little imagination you can sit anywhere and enjoy your drink and each other.
📍 #Innsbruck, Austria
#streetphotography
#urbanphotography
#humansofbluesky
#publicspace
#urbanism
#placemaking
#Österreich
August 16, 2025 at 5:04 PM
And if the seating does not fully meet the comfort requirements, you can always help each other... (🧵3/3)
#publicspace #cities #streetphotography #urbanphotography
August 15, 2025 at 4:04 PM
With water nearby, you are assured of a pleasant view. And good company always helps, of course. (🧵 2/3)
#publicspace #urbanism #placemaking #urbanphotography
#streetphotography
August 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
#Paris, the City of Love❤️, City of Lights💡, Capital of Fashion👗, City of Art🎨, but in my opinion also the City of #Publicspace🌳. What a wonderful city to sit, relax, stroll, and play guitar...
(🧵1/3)
#streetphotography
#humansofbluesky
@ppsplacemaking.bsky.social
@sociallifeproject.bsky.social
August 15, 2025 at 3:56 PM
"Children play anywhere and everywhere" is a famous quote from Colin Ward (1978). An observation that still applies.
#childfriendly #play #children #library #slide #humansofbluesky
August 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Risky play is defined as thrilling and exciting activities. It's a type of play where #children test their limits, explore boundaries, and develop valuable skills like risk assessment, problem-solving, and resilience.
#publicspace
#outdoorplay
#riskyplay
August 9, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Unfortunately, there is also such a thing as hostile #architecture: an urban-design strategy that uses elements of the #builtenvironment to purposefully guide behavior. Usually to avoid using a particular place in #publicspace. It makes public spaces less accessible & vibrant. 🧵(3/3)
#nonplacemaking
August 6, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Fortunately, the #publicspace in old city centers usually lends itself perfectly to finding an unintended seat somewhere:
often a perfect place to watch other people strolling by.
📍 #Verona, Italy
🧵 (2/3)
#citiesforpeople
#placemaking
#streetphotography
#urbanism
@ppsplacemaking.bsky.social
August 6, 2025 at 3:51 PM
When there's not enough seating in #publicspace, people look for other places. Preferably somewhere with a backrest (and thus protection from behind), with a view and in the shade (on sunny days). 🧵 (1/3)
#streetphotography
#urbanphotography
#humansofbluesky #urbanism
@sociallifeproject.bsky.social
August 6, 2025 at 3:42 PM
🧵 2/2 - This #playground by OLIN holds the Atlantic and the short-nosed sturgeon, where children can climb inside, up and over to explore. Four essential learning opportunities have been designed into the science #playarea: reading, visual, kinesthetic and auditory.
#hudsonriverpark #Newyork #play
August 4, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Science Playground (🧵 1/2):"It has been designed to inspire the imagination and to challenge children physically"
📍Pier 26, #NYC
#publicspace
#placemaking
#playfriendly #play
#streetphotography
#urbanphotography
#humansofbluesky
Photos from the inside in 2nd post.
August 4, 2025 at 9:40 AM
How do we make cities more #playfriendly? It's a question I've been working on for quite some time. Here's a nice and simple example from #Memmingen in Germany. A marble maze. What examples do you know?
#publicspace #placemaking
#streetphotography #humansofbluesky
August 2, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Good public seating should be comfortable, accessible, encourage social interaction, have good sight lines and an interesting view.
📍Pier 26, #NY
#streetphotography
#urbanphotography
#publicspace #placemaking
#NewYork
#humansofbluesky
July 30, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Water in cities always creates beautiful, lively places.
#placemaking #publicspace
#streetphotography
#humansofbluesky
#streetlife
July 29, 2025 at 5:34 PM
July 29, 2025 at 3:53 PM
July 29, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Diversity in color, material, facades and seating options creates a vibrant #publicspace.
📍Doyers street, #Chinatown, #NewYork
#placemaking #streetphotography #urbanism #urbanphotography #NY
July 26, 2025 at 1:55 PM
July 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
If we want livable streets we need to provide a soft transition between the buildings (private) and the street (public) through, among others, active ground floors. See these great examples from #NY and #Paris.
#placemaking #publicspace
@sociallifeproject.bsky.social @ppsplacemaking.bsky.social
July 23, 2025 at 2:57 PM
July 19, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Frank Ape (the book reader), a mural from artist #BrandonSines. Frank Ape can be found at many places in #NYC. “To me, what Frank is about is positivity and equality,” says Sines.
#streetart #streetphotography #NewYork #urbanphotography #publicspace
July 18, 2025 at 2:15 PM
What goes up must come down...a parking elevator in a highly urban and dense area of #NewYork.
#car-centric #publicspace #urbanphotography
#parking #urbanism #streetphotography
July 17, 2025 at 12:48 PM