Livermore Municipal Code § 8.01 Civic Space Types

Description Plazas are open spaces available for civic purposes and commercial activities. Numerous plazas add to the vibrancy of streets within more urban sub-areas and create formal open spaces available for civic purposes and commercial activity. Building frontages should define these spaces. The landscape should consist primarily of hardscape. If trees are included, they should be formally arranged and of appropriate scale. Casual seating, along with table and chairs, should be provided. Size & Location

LDC § 8.01.060. Pocket Plazas.

Description Pocket plazas function in a similar manner and follow the same rules as the larger plazas. These smaller-scaled spaces create more intimate places for seating and provide a place for commercial and neighborhood activity to spill into. These plazas can also be used to create a formal space in front of a prominent building entrance. Size & Location

LDC § 8.01.070. Urban Parks.

Description Urban parks include larger open spaces available for civic purposes, commercial activity, and unstructured recreation, as well as smaller structured recreation facilities and other passive uses. These parks should have a more formal urban character and be defined by the surrounding building frontages and adjacent tree-lined streets. All buildings adjacent to the square must have a front onto the park. The landscape should consist of lawns, trees, and shrubs planted in formal patterns and furnished with paths and benches. Shaded areas for seating should be provided. A civic element or small structure such as a kiosk, open shelter, pergola, or fountain may be included at a prominent location. Urban parks may be centrally located at the geographic heart of neighborhoods and/or at the intersection of important thoroughfares. They may also be located at the edges of neighborhoods in locations where several residential areas may benefit from recreational amenities, and serve as a transition between developed areas and natural open spaces. Size & Location

LDC § 8.01.080. Neighborhood Pocket Parks.

Description These smaller parks provide secondary focal points for neighborhoods and other development areas. These parks accommodate a wide range of activities and should vary in character depending on the specific needs of their surroundings. Generally, these parks may be located in public places, such as the intersections of principal streets, or in more intimate places, such as mid-block or even tucked away from the street. They can be regularly or irregularly shaped. Size & Location

LDC § 8.01.090. Community Gardens.

Description Community gardens are groupings of garden plots that are available to nearby residents for small-scale cultivation. Such gardens may be provided as a component of other publicly accessible open spaces and/or civic uses, or may be provided as freestanding open spaces. Size & Location

LDC § 8.01.100. Playgrounds.

Description Playgrounds are open spaces designed and equipped for the recreation of children. They shall be interspersed within residential areas so that every neighborhood or freestanding development area has at least one playground. Playgrounds may be freestanding or located within larger Plazas, Neighborhood Parks, Pocket Parks, or Civic Spaces. Playgrounds should be quiet, safe places protected from the street, and should typically be placed so that children do not have to cross major, roads to get to them. Often playgrounds and tot-lots are interspersed within residential areas. An open shelter, play structures or interactive art and fountains may be included with landscaping between. Shaded areas and seating must be provided. Playgrounds may be included within larger parks and public spaces. Size & Location