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.
