By Robbie Gonzalez
In March, Donald Trump made a menacing prediction about what would happen should the Republican Party not grant him its presidential nomination at the upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland: “I think you’d have riots. I think you’d have riots. I’m representing a tremendous… many, many millions of people.”
As tens of thousands of people with sharply opposing political viewpoints prepare to assemble in downtown Cleveland, city officials are looking toward the physical architecture of the city itself to manage four days of high-stakes protests and marches. Demonstrators from organizations as disparate as Bikers for Trump and Stand Together to Stop Trump will soon converge on the same areas within the designated Event Zone. This 3.3-square-mile "city-within-a-city" comes with a strict security framework where items such as tennis balls, flashlights, and water guns are strictly prohibited, yet—due to long-standing Ohio state law—firearms will be permitted.
At the epicenter of this political collision, both metaphorically and literally, is Cleveland’s newly redesigned and remodeled Public Square, a public park that serves as the site of a city-sanctioned Speakers’ Platform. Conceived by renowned landscape architect James Corner—perhaps most famous for his work on New York City’s High Line—this immaculate new public plaza is about to face its ultimate test as a democratic forum, transforming almost overnight into a high-visibility site of sustained demonstration.
Because the physical shape of a space heavily informs how people interact with and move through it, urban design and crowd management experts are looking closely at how the park’s geometry could dictate the behavior of both protestors and convention attendees. While predicting whether demonstrations will remain peaceful or turn violent remains a difficult task, architects and security analysts have distinct ideas about how the park will function under pressure. James Corner has clear expectations for his park, as does Paul Wertheimer, a crowd control expert and founder of the Los Angeles-based Crowd Management Strategies. Greg Coleridge, director of the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee and an organizer with decades of protest experience in Cleveland, shares similar insights, though their perspectives diverge in fascinating ways.
A Good Public Square Promotes People Flow
When considering how marches form and move, Greg Coleridge notes that the old Public Square served as a popular staging area for public demonstrations. In the past, he explains, protesters would typically circle one or two of the four quadrants before heading out toward other destinations. While he believes the new Public Square will not fundamentally alter the routes of major public marches, he acknowledges that the new layout will definitely affect how these groups assemble. The redesigned space makes it far easier for a crowd to completely encircle the park or walk straight through it, giving a march significantly more visual and physical presence before it sets out.
To transform the four distinct quadrants of the old Public Square into a unified park, James Corner’s team closed one intersecting road, narrowed the remaining avenue, and wrapped the park in a continuous "promenade ribbon." This design choice actively encourages visitors to walk both around and directly through the urban green space. According to Corner, these journeys—especially the diagonal paths cutting across the plaza—were unavailable in the previous layout. He notes that these pathways are an essential feature of modern parks designed to allow the interaction of a diverse mix of people to really play out.
Visibility Is Good for Democracy
The geometry of a public space plays a crucial role in how crowds perceive their environment and one another. Coleridge points out that traditional circle- and square-shaped public spaces naturally lend themselves to demonstrations because everyone can see everyone else, fostering a shared sense of equality among participants. However, he observes that the newly redesigned Public Square is neither circular nor strictly rectilinear. Instead, he describes its layout as an hourglass shape. While the new design undoubtedly opens up sightlines that were absent in the older configuration—particularly along the diagonal corridors—large swaths of the park are now separated by newly planted trees and landscaped gardens that inherently limit visibility across the plaza.
Corner offers a complementary view, emphasizing that one of the great joys of a well-designed public space is the simple, powerful act of people seeing one another. Among Public Square’s most notable new features are its primary sightlines, which extend in long diagonals across the open plaza. Seeing and being seen, and being visually juxtaposed with people who hold different beliefs, is vital for fostering tolerance and diversity, Corner argues. He calls this an extraordinarily social form of public life that ultimately supports democracy. While acknowledging that democracy in action takes many forms, with its most dominant form being protest and large public assembly, Corner maintains that democracy also plays out continuously in everyday urban life.
Cleveland’s Official Speakers Platform Will Attract an Audience
To accommodate free speech during the convention, Cleveland officials have erected an official speaking platform at the southern end of the park. From this designated spot, approved individuals will be permitted to deliver 30-minute speeches daily between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Paul Wertheimer notes that any sizeable crowd gathering to listen to these speakers will inevitably extend right up to, and likely beyond, the large fountain situated directly in front of the platform. He advises that municipal authorities should turn the fountain off during these times to ensure that people have enough physical room to gather safely. Given that Public Square is relatively compact, Wertheimer warns that space will be at a premium and crowds will likely need every square foot available.
Unofficial Speakers Platforms Could Attract Audiences, Too
While the official platform is expected to draw substantial crowds, James Corner emphasizes the importance of supporting the unpredictable nature of public spaces. He believes the best environments for free speech are everyday spaces designed with generosity, openness, and flexibility in mind. The edges of the park’s central lawn slope gently inward, creating a mild amphitheater effect at the center. While primarily intended for casual activities like picnicking, sitting in the sun, or enjoying views of the city, Corner notes that this topography naturally lends itself to larger political gatherings and spontaneous events.
City officials have officially forbidden the use of soapboxes and other makeshift podiums, but a recent legal revision to the city’s definition of a "speakers platform" indicates that individuals may utilize preexisting objects and architectural topography to exercise their freedom of speech. If people want to stand on a concrete curb, a park bench, or at the top of a grassy hill to address a crowd, Wertheimer points out that they are legally permitted to do so.
This proliferation of potential speaking spots raises concerns for organizers like Coleridge. He worries that the park’s varied design elements, which easily double as impromptu speaking platforms, could fracture crowds rather than unite them. Instead of a single unified group addressing a massive audience, Coleridge fears the space might host three different groups in three different sections delivering three separate speeches, diffusing the impact and working against the concept of a single, massive event.
Statues As Rallying Points
Physical monuments within public squares often take on powerful symbolic meaning during periods of civic unrest. Coleridge points out that prior to the recent redesign, a prominent statue of early 20th-century Cleveland Mayor Tom Johnson, located in the plaza’s northwest quadrant, served as a popular gathering point for anti-corporate protests, including the months-long Occupy Cleveland encampment. Describing Johnson as a genuine populist figure, Coleridge notes that the newly preserved statue now sits centered on the north side of the square, positioned in front of an expanded, more attractive, and better-connected public area.
Police Presence and Crowd Management
Managing the security of a major political convention requires a careful balance between safety and intimidation. Wertheimer stresses the importance of maintaining an off-site staging area for police and firefighters, noting that an overwhelming police presence directly inside a protest zone can easily make an event feel unnecessarily confrontational. He suggests that a parking lot located directly across the street from Public Square serves as a logical assembly point for municipal safety forces, and recommends that officers stationed inside the park wear non-confrontational uniforms rather than heavy tactical riot gear. Establishing an off-site staging area for personnel, vehicles, and heavy equipment helps keep public tensions from boiling over.
Reflecting on local history, Coleridge notes that police in Public Square have historically played a supportive role during protests, occasionally stopping traffic for marchers even when proper street permits were lacking. However, he worries that law enforcement officers will take a much stricter approach during the high-profile RNC. Because the new Public Square is heavily promoted as a civic showcase and the crown jewel of downtown Cleveland, Coleridge expects the police to maintain extreme vigilance in keeping order. The central challenge for law enforcement, he argues, will be finding the delicate balance between allowing passionate and angry citizens to freely express themselves while preventing the situation from erupting into violence.
Managing Density and Versatility
Should crowd sizes exceed municipal expectations, Wertheimer suggests that designated overflow areas will be critical for keeping people safely contained. The wide streets surrounding the park could easily serve this secondary function. Authorities might decide to keep at least one side of the park completely closed off from foot traffic to handle overflow, or keep an adjacent lane open as an emergency corridor for fire trucks, ambulances, and police vehicles.
The integration of Superior Avenue, the street running directly through Public Square, adds a layer of operational flexibility. Although primarily utilized as a transit bus route on normal days, the bus can be easily rerouted and the roadway cordoned off during special events. According to Corner, closing this thoroughfare allows the two halves of the park to unify seamlessly, opening up possibilities for tents, festivals, and carnivals.
Finally, Wertheimer points out that because Public Square was not explicitly engineered from the ground up to handle prolonged periods of mass public speaking and political protest, municipal authorities must proactively provide vital temporary amenities. Placing portable toilets, hydration stations, and first aid tents near the center of the park—where they remain easily accessible to crowds on foot and reachable by emergency vehicles via Superior Avenue—will be essential for maintaining public health and safety throughout the convention.
