The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
by William H. Whyte
(book exerpt and film)
I found Whyte’s study of common urban spaces to be fascinating, and provided great insight into how people interact with each other and the outdoors, as well as how public spaces should be allotted. One important insight from the reading is that crowded places tend to become more crowded. While people often gather in groups of two to three people, even individuals like to spend time in crowded places to feel like they are not alone and to experience the group ambiance. A good indication of the “quality” of a space is the density of woman, and not solely because they can draw a crowd of “lady watchers.”
Some surprising findings of Whyte’s study have to do with the location of events that take place in public spaces. Women tend to sit near the inside of a space, while men crowd to the outside, taking on their role as protectors. Lovers often sit right in the open, contrary to popular belief that they look for a secluded area for privacy. Conversations often happen in the center of high traffic flow areas. Finally, a reliable predictor for popularity of open spaces and density of people who visit those spaces does not have to do with culture or geography, but instead, city size and density is the main predictor in determining pedestrian behavior.
In the film version of this story we learn the 5 necessary lessons for designing a successful public space:
- Lesson #1 – Make proper sitting space.
- Lesson #2 – Do not put plazas way down or way up – the action is on the street!
- Lesson #3 – The absence of sun is not an issue – the absence of light is.
- Lesson #4 – Water is good for public spaces.
- Lesson #5 – Have trees and food vendors.
- Lesson #6 – Triangulation.
The Practice of Everyday Life
by Michel de Certeau
This reading was focused on how we should study people and their relationship with others and their environment. Certeau teaches that an individual is always a product of his environment and the relationship between him and that around him is what determines him. Rather than only studying what a person “does” in their environment, we should also study what he “consumes.” The consumption of a product or design gives the most insight into the characteristics of that design, because, while the designer’s perspective is important, the user’s interpretation/perception of the design is most important. The effects of the consumer are manifold and do not necessarily conform to any of the trajectories defined by the producer. An example of this is language. Language is a tool by which we communicate with others, but there is no one way in which it should be used. Instead, the “consumer” adapts words and phrases to the situation they are in.
Cultural Probes
by Bill Gaver, Tony Dunne, and Elena Pacenti
This reading was a description of the research conducted by a design team in the European Union. Their project was to design three different projects for the elderly communities in three EU cities. The importance of the projects came in the form of their process; they created a set of “cultural probes” meant to engage participants and gather information from them. These informal packets included personalized postcards, maps, and disposable cameras, among other things, meant to capture the thoughts and ideas of the test subjects without scaring them with a survey that seemed overly scientific. Participants could complete the “survey” on their own time and were encouraged to be creative and critical. The project was successful in establishing an informal yet insightful dialogue not only between the designers and the communities, but also within each community.
Theory of the Dérive
by Guy Debord
This reading was about the practice of dérive. Based on the notion that cities have psychogeographical contours, a dérive is a stroll around an urban space that is determined by those contours. One starts out by walking in an unfamiliar area and then lets welcoming (or unwelcoming) turns and attractions guide their journey. This experience gives the experiencer a sense of the build, ambiance, and social make-up of the area.