Every community needs a commons where people can gather as friends, neighbors and citizens. This can be a grand public square, a humbleMain Streetor a vacant lot with a few handmade benches where locals sit down for conversation. Or even a bridge, beach or bus station, as the examples below. What’s important are the connections made among people, which can lead to wonderful things: friendships, love affairs, partnerships that flower into new ideas for businesses or community projects. Project for Public Spaces, a New York-based group that works around the world helping citizens boost the sense of community in their neighborhoods, compiled a comprehensive catalog of more than 600 of the best public spaces around the world. Here is a selection of some of the most inspiring, many of them very modest and in surprisingly humble locations. Balboa Park - San Diego, California An oasis of tropical nature in the midst of a busy city, this splendid city park is home of the internationally known San Diego Zoo. Bleecker Street - New York City Once the undisputed capital of American Bohemia, this street is still a wonder to stroll with one-of-a kind small shops and inviting cafés. Along withSan Francisco’sNorthBeach, this is the birthplace of coffee shops in the U.S. Cai Rang Floating Market  - Cai Thao, Vietnam Just like it sounds—vendors sell food, flowers and everything else from boats in theMekong River. Charles Bridge - Prague, Czech Republic A beloved gathering point that offers great views of the city and is a scene in itself. Covent Garden - London, England A market hall surrounded by bustling pedestrian streets,CoventGardens is one of the world’s leading venues for street performers as well as opera productions. French Quarter - New Orleans, Louisiana Colonial Spanish architecture, great local food and music, plus the highest concentration of colorful characters in the wholeUSA. A thriving testament to the principle that old neighborhoods are a city’s best asset. Granville Island - Vancouver, Canada An industrial wasteland revived in the 1970s through the creation of parks, arts institutions and a fabulous public market. Luxembourg Gardens - Paris, France A surprisingly small park with a wealth of things to do—sail toy boats, eat crepes, watch the world pass by. This is the gold standard by which to measure urban parks. O’Connell Street - Ennis, Ireland A world-class small town main street that teems with activity all hours of the day. Pearl District - Portland, Oregon An almost new neighborhood on vacant land downtown that shows we can still build great communities. Plaza Julio Cortazar - Buenos Aires, Argentina A square surrounded by cafés and art galleries in one of the most interesting neighborhoods in the world—Palermo Viejo. Piazza del Campo - Sienna, Italy An artistic triumph of Renaissance architecture, and one of the first squares inEurope to reassert its role as a commons by banning automobiles in the 1960s. Taos Pueblo - Taos, New Mexico A high-rise adobe town that’s been home to Native Americans since at least the 1500s. Read the entire post Shareable Cities | By Jay Walljasper | August 10, 2012 Renaissance Homes is an award winning Street of Dreams custom home builder specializing in green building, remodeling and renovations for the Portland market. Visit our Design Studio to personalize your next home. Awarded the Portland Homebuilder’s Association 2011 “Builder of the Year.”