I just read an article called "What Makes a Successful Place" on the Project for Public Spaces website. You can find the article here: http://www.pps.org/reference/grplacefeat/. Their PlaceMaking blog is listed on our blog list.

The article has a good graphic that can be used to evaluate public spaces.

Something to aim at. The article made me feel that we're pointed in the right direction and had pointers on how to adjust our aim.