Freyberg Square - solace
A liveable city must have outdoor spaces that offer respite from the frenetic pace and hyper-stimulation that are defining features of urban life. As city dwellers we seek the immersive excitement that is the life-blood of urbanity, but we also need opportunities to find solace in sequestered places that offer refuge from that stimulation and cacophony.
A city park is the exemplar of urban sanctuary; and Auckland is well fortified with an abundance of places that extend sylvan serenity.
Freyberg Square (aka Freyberg Place) provides a cosmopolitan canopy of a different sort. It is an urban sanctuary of built form - of material and landscape architectures designed to envelop, gently caress and encourage thoughtful repose - for those alone or with mates.
Whether for morning tea breaks, over the noon hour or brief catch-ups with mates before heading home, Freyberg Square is an integral element of Auckland’s network of cosmopolitan canopies.
Lastly but significantly, as I have documented in a previous post, Freyberg Square is used by several social services agencies to distribute wrap-around services for Auckland’s most vulnerable residents.