“I definitely think there is hope,” Genzoe said.

Genzoe will share some of his ideas for making Tollefson Plaza and other parts of Tacoma more inviting places with when he meets with City Manager Eric Anderson and Councilman Jake Fey before leaving town. He offered The News Tribune these observations during a break Tuesday:

The plaza – and much of downtown – needs a stronger connection to the water. “You have a wonderful waterfront,” Genzoe said. “You need more connections. The area around the plaza needs to be better connected.”

And it needs to offer people more reasons to visit. “There are very few action places on the plaza,” he said, though there are some nearby. Benches for seating might help, he suggested. Kiosks, too. As it is, it feels like a large space waiting for an event like a soccer match or baseball game, he said.

Genzoe is a senior consultant and associate partner of Gehl Architects, and a senior lecturer of urban design at the Center for Public Space Research at the School of Architecture in Copenhagen. He also is co-author of the books, “New City Spaces, Strategies and Projects” and “Public Spaces, Public Life.”

Anderson and Fey met Genzoe during a trip to Europe last year and were impressed. The City of Tacoma spent $15,000 to bring him to town to talk about making the city a more inviting and people-friendly space, particularly Tollefson Plaza, the vast open area along Pacific Avenue adjacent to the Courtyard Marriott hotel.

Genzoe spent Tuesday morning walking around downtown with city officials. The route began at the Hotel Murano and included visits to Tollefson Plaza, the old rail corridor at the University of Washington Tacoma and the Museum of Glass.

At noon, Genzoe spoke to the City Council and members of the city’s Planning Commission and Landmarks Preservation Commission during a televised study session. He described the changing ways in which people use public spaces.

A century ago, people needed to go out into public to perform necessities like bathing at a public bath house, shopping for fresh food every other day or using a public telephone.

Now, in an age where people can accomplish many daily activities from home using computers, they use public spaces for optional activities such as leisure shopping or urban recreation, he said. But people will only use those spaces if they are inviting, high-quality places, he said.

In order to attract people, Genzoe emphasized the need to put people – rather than buildings and spaces – at the forefront of city planning.

He offered Melbourne, Australia, as an example of a city that successfully transformed itself from a car-based city with a vacant downtown into a thriving, pedestrian-friendly city. The transformation occurred in part because the city built bigger sidewalks and filled them with benches, planted trees, brought housing to the downtown core and built more public spaces. Outdoor cafes were important. “It’s incredible how many cappuccinos and cafe lattes we can down,” Genzoe said.

Genzoe attempted to debunk three common excuses he runs into when he talks with cities about becoming more pedestrian-friendly.

Without car access, shopping will die.

The climate is wrong.

It’s not in the community’s culture.

Urban cultures can change if the environment changes, Genzoe said.

“We need cities where it is a pleasure to walk,” Genzoe said.

Jason Hagey: 253-597-8542