Engagement tools for creating shared spaces in places with homelessness
Coexistence in Public Space is a 2021 report and engagement toolkit developed by SPUR and Gehl that asks a difficult question: How can public spaces provide joy, belonging, and safety for everyone—including people experiencing homelessness?
The project grew out of research at Guadalupe River Park in San José, where the presence of unhoused people had become central to debates about the park's safety, accessibility, and future.
Rather than treating the removal of unhoused people as a prerequisite for a successful park, SPUR and Gehl proposed a different approach:
Shift from “the park will only be great if there are no homeless people in it” to “the park will only be great if we design for coexistence.”
The resulting Coexistence Toolkit offers exercises to help communities, public agencies, and park managers navigate questions of homelessness, safety, access, and belonging through design, programming, and engagement.
The central idea extends far beyond one park: coexistence doesn't mean pretending conflicts in public space don't exist. It means addressing those conflicts without making exclusion the default solution.
Creating genuinely public places requires finding ways for people with different needs, vulnerabilities, and expectations to share them.
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