Bump spaces have been around as a concept for a while, so if you're new to the idea, a quick google search should bring you up to speed. Or you can jump to this article I found written by a local public property genius.*
There's a general acceptance that micro-collisions between people and the connections that result are what makes up the 'net' in a community network.
Small, simple, spontaneous interactions are both a fruit of, and a creator of, connection.
So in a community seeking to grow connection, we're caught in a catch-22: How to make bump spaces work without a culture of connection, while trying to use bump spaces to build the culture by creating connection.
The answer, as often happens with many organic people-systems, is to do it deliberately, intentionally, and with purpose, for a while. And eventually, it'll just be what we do around here.
Don't wait for the Council to redevelop the local park. Go and sit on the seat with a cup of tea every Sunday morning at 10am.
Don't wait for the local cafe to set up outdoor seating. Start buying fish and chips every Friday night at 6.30pm. And don't order over the phone.
We don't need to wait for the Council, the Urban Planners, or the Parks Department to make these spaces for use. We can use the ones that are there, and create our own on the dirt we can control.
Cut down a section of the front fence and make a bench seat. And sit on it sometimes.
Set up a book swap fridge next to the letterbox.
Set up a herb garden along the front fence. Or in front of the front fence.
Do any of these things at the local park. Or school.
And perhaps along the way we might figure out how to get bump spaces put into city planning public space design, or a requirement for new subdivisions.
*Disclaimer: This is my own definition based on judgements from a distance. I don't know the guy and I've never met him, although I'd like to.