Dancing in the Street
. . . several patterns have laid the groundwork for evening activity in public—Magic of the City, Promenade, Night Life, Carnival, Small Public Squares. To make these places alive at night, there is nothing like music and dancing; this pattern simply states the physical conditions which will encourage dancing and music to fill the streets.
Problem:
Why is it that people don’t dance in the streets today?
Background & Research: Not Included on the site—Go read the book!
Solution:
Along promenades, in squares and evening centers, make a slightly raised platform to form a bandstand, where street musicians and local bands can play. Cover it, and perhaps build in at ground level tiny stalls for refreshment. Surround the bandstand with paved surface for dancing—no admission charge.
Usage:
Place the bandstand in a pocket of activity, toward the edge of a square or a promenade—Activity Pockets; make it a room, defined by trellises and columns—Public Outdoor Room; build Food Stands around the bandstand; and for dancing, maybe colored canvas canopies, which reach out over portions of the street, and make the street, or parts of it, into a great, half-open tent—Canvas Roofs . . .
pg. 319