full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Matthew Mazzotta: Playful, wondrous public spaces built for community and possibility

Unscramble the Blue Letters


I start by listening and by setting up acutal outdoor living rooms, complete with couches, tables, crhias, rugs and lamps, as a way of hodlnig meetings to learn about the issues directly from the ctmiuonmy. I use this technique to capture the voeics and ideas of plepoe that might not have time or feel comfortable in more formal menitges. So why get someone to sit in a love seat in the middle of the street?

In York, Alabama, the residents bear witness to the abandoned houses that cover the town, which are a constant rinedmer of the white flight that took place after segregation ended, when white homeowners left the area and let their hesuos fall into deripsiar. Teaming up with the people of York, we transformed an iconic, pink-sided, blighted property in the middle of town into a new house, called "Open House." However, this house has a secret. It physically transforms into a 100-seat open-air theater for plays, movies, music or whatever the community would like to eenepcxire. And when it flods back up into the shape of a house, the image of the reclaimed pink siding reminds people of the past. After its opening, the mayor saw the potential in Open husoe and held the next town hall meeting there. The excitement of this unique gathering space brought new energy and gave a fsreh vpiwneoit to collectively discuss the furute of the town.

Open Cloze


I start by listening and by setting up ______ outdoor living rooms, complete with couches, tables, ______, rugs and lamps, as a way of _______ meetings to learn about the issues directly from the _________. I use this technique to capture the ______ and ideas of ______ that might not have time or feel comfortable in more formal ________. So why get someone to sit in a love seat in the middle of the street?

In York, Alabama, the residents bear witness to the abandoned houses that cover the town, which are a constant ________ of the white flight that took place after segregation ended, when white homeowners left the area and let their ______ fall into _________. Teaming up with the people of York, we transformed an iconic, pink-sided, blighted property in the middle of town into a new house, called "Open House." However, this house has a secret. It physically transforms into a 100-seat open-air theater for plays, movies, music or whatever the community would like to __________. And when it _____ back up into the shape of a house, the image of the reclaimed pink siding reminds people of the past. After its opening, the mayor saw the potential in Open _____ and held the next town hall meeting there. The excitement of this unique gathering space brought new energy and gave a _____ _________ to collectively discuss the ______ of the town.

Solution


  1. holding
  2. community
  3. meetings
  4. houses
  5. people
  6. reminder
  7. folds
  8. chairs
  9. future
  10. voices
  11. fresh
  12. viewpoint
  13. house
  14. experience
  15. disrepair
  16. actual

Original Text


I start by listening and by setting up actual outdoor living rooms, complete with couches, tables, chairs, rugs and lamps, as a way of holding meetings to learn about the issues directly from the community. I use this technique to capture the voices and ideas of people that might not have time or feel comfortable in more formal meetings. So why get someone to sit in a love seat in the middle of the street?

In York, Alabama, the residents bear witness to the abandoned houses that cover the town, which are a constant reminder of the white flight that took place after segregation ended, when white homeowners left the area and let their houses fall into disrepair. Teaming up with the people of York, we transformed an iconic, pink-sided, blighted property in the middle of town into a new house, called "Open House." However, this house has a secret. It physically transforms into a 100-seat open-air theater for plays, movies, music or whatever the community would like to experience. And when it folds back up into the shape of a house, the image of the reclaimed pink siding reminds people of the past. After its opening, the mayor saw the potential in Open House and held the next town hall meeting there. The excitement of this unique gathering space brought new energy and gave a fresh viewpoint to collectively discuss the future of the town.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
public space 3


Important Words


  1. abandoned
  2. actual
  3. alabama
  4. area
  5. bear
  6. blighted
  7. brought
  8. called
  9. capture
  10. chairs
  11. collectively
  12. comfortable
  13. community
  14. complete
  15. constant
  16. couches
  17. cover
  18. discuss
  19. disrepair
  20. ended
  21. energy
  22. excitement
  23. experience
  24. fall
  25. feel
  26. flight
  27. folds
  28. formal
  29. fresh
  30. future
  31. gathering
  32. gave
  33. hall
  34. held
  35. holding
  36. homeowners
  37. house
  38. houses
  39. iconic
  40. ideas
  41. image
  42. issues
  43. lamps
  44. learn
  45. left
  46. listening
  47. living
  48. love
  49. mayor
  50. meeting
  51. meetings
  52. middle
  53. movies
  54. music
  55. open
  56. opening
  57. outdoor
  58. people
  59. physically
  60. pink
  61. place
  62. plays
  63. potential
  64. property
  65. reclaimed
  66. reminder
  67. reminds
  68. residents
  69. rooms
  70. rugs
  71. seat
  72. secret
  73. segregation
  74. setting
  75. shape
  76. siding
  77. sit
  78. space
  79. start
  80. street
  81. tables
  82. teaming
  83. technique
  84. theater
  85. time
  86. town
  87. transformed
  88. transforms
  89. unique
  90. viewpoint
  91. voices
  92. white
  93. witness
  94. york