Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Reading 1_PrideOfPlace_Due Jan 24
Complete the reading and respond - In Pride of Place, Kent discusses the understanding and work of Projects for Public space from a humanist perspective - how people actually use public spaces and what attracts or repels them. Think about public space you have enjoyed or disliked and tell us, one) what and where it is, and two) what you attracted you and/or repelled you to the space, then 3) take a position about this - what do you believe is the architect/urban designers responsibility to the user and context when designing these spaces?
Follow up this post with a submission to your Assignment in Blackboard.
Prof. Torres-MacDonald
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
A public place that attracts me and at the same time I dislike it is San Jacinto Plaza. San Jacinto Plaza is also known as La Plaza de los Lagartos and it is located in El Paso, Texas downtown area. The reason the plaza attracts me is because of all of its history since it was the most important place to gather in El Paso since the year 1883. It was main area for bus stops and it had its main attraction where they placed a pond in the center with real alligators which attracted people to go see the the plaza. As the years passed, they took the alligators to the city zoo for safety reasons and since then San Jacinto Plaza didn't progress. Today it's a forgotten plaza where all the trees are dead, the benches are old, and homeless people live. Hardly any people go to the plaza today because the city doesn't do anything to improve its conditions. That is why I dislike San Jacinto Plaza. Originally back then the architect/urban designer did a great job developing this plaza considering that it is located in the center of downtown where a heavy load pedestrians are walking by from place to place or stayed as an attraction for the families to have fun and socialize. I believe that the only way to revitalize the plaza is by bringing back the attractions from before. Maybe bringing back the alligators to the pond or creating more social events to attract people. Also to remodel the plaza with new equipment such as new benches, lights, pathways and other things to make people feel comfortable. An example from the reading could be to construct a small cafe area in the plaza which I think will help a lot since that area is full of business buildings and workers can go and take a break or people can gather and stay there for a while.
ReplyDeleteJulen Arruti
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteReading 1 Due Jan 24 2013
ReplyDeleteThis was a short, yet meaning piece that covered using spaces to create harmony between people and machine. Places that I enjoy particularly here in Houston include any hike/bike trail and any public park. Some of my favorite parks in Houston included Hermann, Peggy Shiffick Park, and McGregor park. My favorite place to bike is along Braes Bayou and around George Bush park. These areas are well lit. They are safe and welcoming. They are full of greenery. They are very simple and natural in their design. They are well taken care of. The health of the trees and type of trees (are they good for climbing) are factors. Water features are a bonus.
Although in the article the writer makes it sound as if architects and landscape designers balk at Fred Kent's ideas, I believe that modern architects, especially new students and those from post post-modern times, are extremely aware of the ideas that Kent has been writing about for so long. Although traffic engineering can be a large part of making cities more useable, ultimately, the urban design is up to architects. It is imperative that architects get on board with ideas like Kent's. We should always remember to embrace the ideas of others, even if they are not what we were taught. Always remember to take thing learned with a grain of salt, for all opinions are only opinions. All truths from the viewpoint of one person are only partial truths.
An architect needs to comply with the idea that all aspects of building need to be designed so that movement and change can occur readily. Of course, every architect will tell you he/she is doing what is best for the space to the best of their ability, but an architect that is not willing to accept new ideas is selling themselves short and may be introducing ill-fated projects into the community. I realize that architectural design is always on a schedule, but to properly research an area to enable growth and make sure what is being added is relevant and useful is probably the most important aspect of pre-design. And it is the architect's duty to make sure this occurs.
-Cynthia
Architects and urban designers should be responsible in creating spaces that are welcoming and attractive to people. As designers, we are aware of the relationship between space and user. As architectecture students, I have been exposed to what makes good public space and bad public space. In turn, these skills should be implemented to any and all designs for the betterment of communities and urban settings. It is amazing to me that Fred Kent is not an architect, yet he approaches public spaces from a practical point of view. He uses common sense and logic to derive formulas and relationships that make good public spaces. I think that sometimes as designers we conceptually come up with ideas of what we think a good spatial experience is but we forget to be practical about it.
ReplyDeleteSome great public spaces which I have experienced are Discovery Green and the Montrose Area in Houston. While the surrounding area of Discovery Green Park in Houston can be considered to be detrimental to pedestrian traffic, the park itself is attractive to pedestrians. I have been to the park several times and have always found it welcoming and safe. There is a sense of openness to the park that serves as a relief from the thick urban context of Houston. There are also other things in the park that aid in being welcoming. Among some of these elements is the presence of water, storefronts, interactive installments, art exhibits being displayed, programmatic spaces, gardens, among many others. I only wish that the surrounding areas of the park would take advantage of the openness of the park and adjust to become more pedestrian friendly. The Montrose area in Houston is also one of my favorite public streets. This area, at first, does not seem like it would be very welcoming to pedestrians, but there are certain things that are appealing about this street. The presence of many small business storefronts, restaurants, art galleries, libraries, coffee shops, among many others encourages pedestrian traffic. The entire area also is very green which gives off a sense of setting similar to an urban jungle.
I only hope to continue using these experiences to further my understanding of public spaces. I hope as a professional to include the design of successful public spaces into architectural design.
I have seen many public spaces in my life. One that stands out to me and that I like is the plaza Alameda de Hercules in Sevilla, Spain. I had the amazing opportunity to travel there this last summer for my study abroad. Since space is limited in Spain, they are more focused on pedestrian traffic than vehicular. This space is used day and night by the people that live and the people that visit there. This plaza has plenty of places to eat at, which makes it a good place to come to. The plaza has plenty of places to sit where people can stay and enjoy the area. There is shade provided by trees, and it is cooled off by the water feature that is in the plaza. The plaza is used during the day for the restaurants in the area, and at night it was used as a place for a concert and the clubs used the space also. In my opinion the architect/ urban designers responsibility to the user is to make the space usable during all times of the day. Have stationary furniture and operable furniture that can move with the sun, so that people can remain in the shade, or in the sun depending on the time of year. There should be places for food, and it should be designed to attract all ages of people, a play ground so kids could have fun, and the cafes or restaurants so the parents can sit and watch their children. The area needs some kind of water feature to provide climate control. The area needs to be user friendly well lit during the night so it can be used at all times. The designer should make it to where the place is accessible by vehicular traffic as well as the pedestrian traffic. Also it should be designed to hold different events, like concerts, and family days. These spaces should attract people in and have enough amenities to keep them there, making it as user friendly as possible.
ReplyDeleteBradley Rich
A response to Fred Kent and notes on new Great American Cities
ReplyDeleteFred Kent is well versed as an urban interpreter, often playing the role of antagonist criticizing many architectural statements, such as the Time Werner development located on the south edge of New York’s Central Park. Mr. Kent has cataloged clout in the urban realm capturing an estimated 750,000 photographs of city goer’s intimate moments in public spaces. Mr. Kent is often more notably recognized for his engaging practice at Parks for Public Space, where many of those pictures can be found hanging from the walls in his New York City office. Just like any stark urbanist, he often preaches to do the opposite of what architects, developers and traffic engineers propose, effectively arguing that other solutions would be more successful. These other solutions, often times sound like a cookie cutter 1960’s Lewis Mumford clip promoting individualism and densification. Nevertheless his simple ideas can be directly translated into large urban scale solutions. Movable chairs, cafes, openness, jumble and chaos are all great proponents of a city street.
One example of pride of place is our beloved home state hero Austin, Texas. This beautiful city or as I like to call it, The Live Music Capitol of the World is renowned for its debaucherous numbered streets and seedy music underbelly. Jumble and chaos create a finely tuned urban rhythm that moves a creatively energized, well-educated daylife into a liberal, light-filled nightlife. Chaos and weirdness is the heart and densification is the vein responsible for rapidly transforming Austin into the next great American city of the future. Nowadays if you talk to anybody from the east to the west, everybody knows about Austin and everybody has heard good things. Austin is the first Texas city to willingly attract a creative population base from art districts like NYC, Chicago, Atlanta and LA. This urban culture of fun and food, of small shops and organic dog biscuits, of wine dives and back bars overflowing with music louder than it should be, has created a positive place where people want to be.
Another example of a positive urban place is Broadway Street in Denver, Colorado. Broadway is undoubtedly the New Amsterdam of the American west. This method of government is the law of the land, this truly ground up approach is a contemporary model all great cites have and will maintain in the future. I believe that this Jeffersonian trend will continue as we move out an industrial age into a truly modern, creative age. Cites that manage to embody an image, maintain local government and provide a clean, healthy yet rather chaotic sense of place will be the cosmopolitan cites of the future.
By: Bradley Arnold
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteTo be inserted and integrated into a well developed public space is rewarding as the user feels as if though they are a part of the integral aspects (social interaction, nature, etc.) that make a successful urban space, (sometimes unconsciously knowing it). The moment when one feels the need to explore and at the same time feels relaxed and comfortable tells that the space surrounding them is attractive and heart-warming. Fred Kent understands this concept and pushes to apply it where need be. Although most of what he says is common sense, it's a shame to see most public spaces go to waste around the country due to what is now become "a fix it quick" problem, thus, the everlasting quality and potential a public space could of had is lost. A public place I can very well reminisce on is Downtown McAllen, located in McAllen, TX. It consists of congested shopping plazas down the main streets which then conclude to a very well known Park in the Rio Grande Valley - Archer Park, the park being the most hierarchical of elements. Cafes', restaurants and businesses are just right across the narrow streets, however, the streets are intimate and balanced due to the heavy congestion of pedestrians constantly going back and forth from plaza to park. I was immediately pulled into the space when I saw one distinct feature within the park that stood proudly in the center, the feature being that of a Gazebo. In my mind, I immediately thought I could grab a cup of coffee and walk my way towards the park to sit and relax while I watched as the public space was in good social interactive chaos. The balance between enclosed and open is seen when one travels through the main streets witnessing the variety of condensed shops when suddenly are released into a space where one can see water fountains, trees, shrubs, hammocks, and sidewalks leading to the more prominent feature - the Gazebo, all within Archer Park. Based off this, I can say it is the architects duty and responsibility to make the user feel a sense of exploration and social interaction within a public space by laying out different programmatic situations leveled about accordingly in a said space. Ultimately, there shouldn't be any dead ends, the public space shall be a continuous loop of social and interactive play that every pedestrian will want to engage and be involved in.
ReplyDelete-Martin
This week’s reading, In Pride of Place, gives clear cut examples of an urbanist’s fundamental ideals. Kent has the ability to easily point out what makes a good space versus what makes a bad space regardless of the user’s awareness. One example he gives explains that people actually tend to speed up their pace when walking past a closed, blank façade and slow back down when they reach open and inviting storefronts. This is just one of many examples of how important a buildings street presence can be when it comes to urban design. It is the architect/ urban designer’s responsibility to create spaces which attract and invite people rather than quickly driving them away. Designers must always consider the users needs and get caught up in the ‘traffic engineer’s’ point of view.
ReplyDeleteOne public space that I recently visited and enjoyed was the High Line in New York City. This elevated railway turned urban park brings much needed green space and a strictly pedestrian walkway into Manhattan. When walking on the Highline you are able to get a new perspective of the city without the constant noise and hurried movement of people, taxis, and busses that one faces in the New York City streets. There are several benches and niches to stop and sit to chat, view art installations, or just look out to the city. One unique aspect of this park is that while walking, you can get a glimpse into the windows of nearby studios and businesses making it an interesting spot for people watching as well. The High Line brings a sense of relaxation and stillness not seen in other parts of New York. This elevated urban park has been so successful that many new businesses are fighting to be near it and it will be a top attracting for many years to come.
Jessica Badoe
Menil Park is a place that attracted me. The combination of the Menil Collection and the park is what makes it appealing because the two compliment each other. The structure of the Menil Collection is set on the southwest corner of the site. This leaves a large open green space on the north and east sides. When on the north or east sidewalk, there is a clear view of the Menil Collection and the park adjacent to it. The green space that surrounds the Menil Collection has artitstic elements which is carried over to the park where a monolithic steel sculpture is prominent. There is not one thing that is particularly spectacular about the park. It has some old benches that are missing wood slats, some beautiful oak trees that are good for climbing, and open grassy area for people to kick a soccerball, and a single large swing. The space is small, intimate and provides enough room to either get away or easily interact with other people. The benches probably need replacing but they still work and people still use them. The park has character and a comfortable feel to it.
ReplyDeleteThe designer of a place like this has a myriad of responsibilities to the user. Using materials that last, providing objects within these spaces that can be multi-functional, and as Kent said they should be customizable for the comfort of the user. The user should have the opportunity to reinvent the space or uses an object within that space for a separate use. The context that the place is adjacent to is important as well, because these places need to work together even if they are separate entities. The Menil Collection is a good precedent for this because the park and the building are separate but they work together in creating a seamless pleasant experience.
Matt Vaclavik
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe first reading required of us; In Pride of Place points out the commonest repelling factor about public spaces. Fred Kent talks elaborately on the pedestrian and environment (building, green, streets) relationship. Several of his quotes taught my attention for example where he said " a street has more than one use; It's not just to get cars through but people live there". This quote is so true because at the end of the day, the function of a public space is to bring people together blissfully.
ReplyDeleteOne public space I have enjoyed and disliked is Times Square in New York City. This main commercial junction has so much going on spatially and pedestrian wise. I have had different encounters with this space, each with different feelings. My first encounter was in the day time, at first I was so amused by the buildings (height, forms, facades) thereafter I had people pushing me from side to side then I got irritated. If it was not people closing from work, it was people going to work, to shop and so on.
My second encounter was in the night, I was taken aback by all of the lights that I could not be bothered about the pedestrian traffic and chaos. After getting too many hot and cold feelings towards this space. I decided to go at the least busiest hour, I sat in a circle with green and a fountain to relax from all the chaos but I could not with people talking, road side performs, etc. This space is so beautiful but with the amount of events going on an individual/ pedestrian is not allowed enough time to EXPERIENCE the space. I finally concluded that Times Square brings people together but not blissfully therefore not totally performing its public space function.
Personally, I feel it is the architects first duty to think of the people in the space before anything else. Whilst the urban designer has to think further more beyond the property line of the building and think of the city in its entirety. Together they should design a dynamic space, where all factors are put into consideration (safety, noise pollution, pedestrians, etc).
Esther Ajanaku
When I studied abroad in Verona, Italy I was really attracted to the space where the Verona Arena is, in Piazza Bra. This space contains the arena in the center with an outer ring that is used as public space. Surrounding the outer ring is shops, restaurants, and cafes. I am attracted to this place because of the liveliness it brings. For example people are shopping, eating, walking, entertaining and children are playing. This level of liveliness happens because there is no car traffic allowed through the space, so people are free to roam where they please. There are no big superstores, but small more intimate stores. Also, when a performance is going on in the arena, people gather around to listen. They don’t need a ticket to sit outside and listen to the music. In the center, it also has a green area with huge trees and a fountain which is another feature I like. Overall, this place is beautiful and is truly an amazing place to be. I believe that there is something special about all the piazzas and squares that can be found in Europe that we do not see here in America.
ReplyDeleteAs urban designers and architects I believe it is our responsibility to understand what people want in public spaces and how to create spaces that will spark people’s interests. We should not design spaces with the primary purpose of the automobile. We must consider the people who live in that area, who might want to walk, or ride a bike. We have examples of spaces that are designed well that attract people and we must learn what makes this space a place where people what to be in order to incorporated those ideas into new designs.
Danielle Smyth
After reading Pride of Place, I began to think about a few places that I have enjoyed over the past few years. The first that comes to mind is Brick Town in Oklahoma City. OKC has done a lot of work and the community there has put in a lot of effort over the past 15 years to create an atmosphere that will attract people. I am a fan of old brick buildings, warehouses, ect. I think that there are a lot of unique characteristics in each of these buildings that are not found today. I also enjoy buildings that reflect history. There are several of these old buildings that have old mural walls, and old advertisements painted on them. Another thing that I was attracted to in Brick Town was the street presence to the street, or more importantly, to the canal that is behind the buildings. From my observations while there, people really like these spaces, and spend time walking, sitting, and socializing in these open air public spaces. I think the developers and the designers of projects like Brick Town have to look at the end goals, and check to see if every move they make takes them towards that goal. The Architect/Designer has to question the way things are designed, and insure that they are the best option for the community. They also need to help the owner see how public spaces and positive public interaction can help their business goals.
ReplyDelete-Joshua Pape
One place that comes to mind is Victory Park in Dallas, Texas. It has attracted me there because multiple things can happen through out the year. Watch parties for hockey or basketball games outside with other people that you can interact with. Or there are bars and restaurants near by. Also on New Years Eve it is the place to be when you live in the Dallas area. The architect/designer's role in developing this place is to create a sense of comfort for people to have fun and interact with each other. It is an entertainment area that brings people there due to the events and allows them to be within a distance of transportation, food and some shopping.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Thoma
The main objective of a designer should be to cause a positive impact on people, this may be by designing an amazing modern building or by creating spaces where people feel comfortable in and have such an impact on them that will make them return. I personally believe that the redevelopment done in Oklahoma City is quite impressive, more specifically Bricktown. As a studio we had the opportunity of driving down there and looking at everything that has been done and more importantly speaking to the director of the Chamber of Commerce who gave us a presentation on how everything was done. The area that I enjoyed the most is along the Bricktown Canal, and even though it is artificial I believed it brought life back to this side of town. Bars, restaurants, retail shops, green areas all are part of this urban space and let’s not forget water taxi. It runs right through old beautiful brick buildings who did not lost their character which makes the area even more beautiful. I believe the approach taken by the designers was a successful one and even though some complain about being artificial and a copycat of San Antonio’s riverwalk, I still believe people enjoy it and are attracted to it 100%.
ReplyDeleteI think one location that I have come to find attractive and peaceful has been Thanksgiving Square in Dallas, TX. I have been there several times and have always found its overhanging trees and pleasant water falls a nice reprieve from the tower skyscrapers that surround it. The interesting thing is that it secludes itself from the city, by walling the exterior off and forming an interior courtyard that is used as an amphitheater. The chapel sits on N. Ervay St. end of the site and has bridges connecting it to the street level across waterfalls. I enjoy it because you get to explore a little. In some ways I feel it is kind of an urban jungle gym, combining natural elements with the hard landscape of concrete and stone. The courtyard also provides some good acoustics for musical performances. Overall I think the designer had one goal, which was to make you feel that you were not in the city. When I walk in the space it feels completely different than when I walk around it. The exterior wall provides much of the same conditions as walking next to the skyscrapers in the area. It is a monotone experience where the user feels his/ her proportion next to the scale of the large buildings that they walk by (humbled by our size). I think the designer had a great plan and implemented it well. I think his responsibility to the user and context was somewhat lacking in terms thinking not only about users who would walk through the space but those who would be walking, merely on the sidewalk. Even the gates to the complex seem foreboding and it made me uncomfortable walking by them. The responsibility of the designer is to address quality of space, is it a reprieve from concrete jungle, does it provide opportunity for gathering and events to take place. Also the designer should take concern with both the interior of the site and the condition on the exterior, where sidewalks and urban infrastructure are visible. I think addressing those issues should always be part of the designers/planners responsibility in urban design.
ReplyDelete_zach
A place that comes to mind that I have really enjoyed is the Shops at Legacy in Plano, Texas. The building facades and street fronts are very inviting. It has lots of restaurants and diners that have patios along the street. It is a mixed use development that combines offices, shops, cafe, and residences. The street is very pedestrian friendly and has a fountain/park at the end of the block that serves as a great terminus, as well as a public gathering area. I feel that it is important for Engineers (and Architects) to experience places like these in order for them to get a better understanding of how the built environment can effect a place or community. It seems too often that we design to satisfy different parameters and don't look at overall picture. Architects and Engineers need to start stepping out of their typical design methods and start working together more to design an environment as a whole instead of their own individual pieces.
ReplyDeleteBilly Henly
I am not too well-travelled in the United States therefore the first and most pleasant public space experience that comes to my mind is the Tuileries Gardens in Paris. It is a beautiful garden park that stretches from the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel at the end of the Louvre Pyramid courtyard all the way down to Place de la Concorde. The wonderful thing about it is that it takes you through the gardens and along the way there are sculptures for you to see, places to eat, places to sit and it’s all lined with trees for shading. Perhaps what I liked most is the moveable chairs by the fountain near Place de la Concorde because the people using them seemed so calm and relaxed conversing with friends even though it was open and there was not any shade in that area. The moveable chairs were green and not in any way ornate, but they were sturdy and comfortable enough to sit in and have a conversation with your friends.
ReplyDeleteMy position regarding public spaces is that they should be more prevalent and present everywhere throughout any city and each one competing to be more beautiful than the last regardless of its size. I say this because the only American public space examples that I have experienced and liked are the River Walk in San Antonio and Discovery Green in Houston. With more presence and prevalence of public spaces I believe that one shouldn’t have to hop into their car to get to the park. Architects and Urban Designers should strive to make every single public space as beautiful as the Tuileries Gardens. This way every neighborhood has a great place to hang out in and a place to be proud of within their neighborhood because urban design starts at the neighborhood level.
Emmanuel Castrellon
A public space that I find myself going to more and more is the Jones Plaza in downtown Houston, TX. I enjoy the program that surrounds the plaza. It is next to Houston’s Theater district and Bayou Place, which was Houston’s former convention center and now serves as entertainment destination for many residents. The plaza is centrally located and it’s a great place for gathering after your activities in the surrounding area. What I dislike about the plaza is its edge conditions to the surrounding city fabric. This is because the plaza is elevated and it becomes difficult for the people to integrate themselves into it. The designers of the plaza didn’t seem to take into consideration the human scale, considering that you are already surrounded by tall buildings, it is not practical to create a place that is also unapproachable due to is elevation.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the best public spaces I have been to are some of the plazas in Europe such as the Plaza Mayor in Madrid and St. Marks Square in Venice, it may be the presence of the many tourists that makes them seem active and alive. The surrounding shops and restaurants also have to do with it. People feel secure and protected in the plaza and do not have to worry about traffic because they are secluded from vehicular circulation. Both of the plazas provide shading with the arcade that goes along the edges. Maybe a down fall about these two examples is that none provide green spaces, but this does not stop the people from being out there seating on the ground or just walking around the space.
ReplyDeleteAs future architects I feel that in each project we do we have to think out of the box, we need to go beyond the property line of the project and embrace the surrounding context with our designs.
We need to analyze very close the use of the space we are working with. As Fred Kent describes in the reading, we need to put ourselves in the shoes of the people who will be affected with our designs. We have to see and analyze our designs from a different point of view and a more humanistic perspective.
Luis Velasco
While reading through Pride of Place one quote stood out that truly made me think about place that fit this description: "We need places that people feel comfortable in and connect to, that they can be affectionate in, smile, laugh, engage, tell stories. It's about bliss, really." There has been one place that I have had the pleasure of visiting that met these qualities and that was Mauerpark in Berlin, Germany. This park was the host of many different sporting events and the home to a weekend flea market. Ever engaging the people that were around it, the park sat at the termination of four individual avenues that each held engaging store fronts, cafes, restaurants and even beer gardens of their own. One of the primary trolley lines of the city had a stop directly in front of this park and I was lucky enough to have found that this trolley would be one that I would be taking on a daily basis. In relation to Mr. Kent's quote this place was in constant use no matter what part of the day and the times that it became a social connector were seen greatly every Sunday afternoon. Within the park is an old stone amphitheater built into a hill side just outside the flea market and to my amusement a man would bring his equipment and host open signup karaoke for everyone. The amphitheater was just a sea of people, over crowding the seats and amassing more around the stage for standing room only. It was incredible to witness and even more amazing to participate. It truly was a place that anyone could come smile, laugh, and engage. It was bliss. These may not have been the true intention of the space but it was what the people made of it.
ReplyDeleteArchitects and urban planners sometimes miss these little subtle moments of happiness. For our future, mine included, I hope that we can begin to find these moments and embrace them in a design aspect so that it can be shared with others. We should try to engage with our design and stray from the old ideas of build it and they will come.
Nathan Pope
DeleteI have seen many public spaces in my life. One that stands out to me and that I like is the plaza Alameda de Hercules in Sevilla, Spain. I had the amazing opportunity to travel there this last summer for my study abroad. Since space is limited in Spain, they are more focused on pedestrian traffic than vehicular. This space is used day and night by the people that live and the people that visit there. This plaza has plenty of places to eat at, which makes it a good place to come to. The plaza has plenty of places to sit where people can stay and enjoy the area. There is shade provided by trees, and it is cooled off by the water feature that is in the plaza. The plaza is used during the day for the restaurants in the area, and at night it was used as a place for a concert and the clubs used the space also. In my opinion the architect/ urban designers responsibility to the user is to make the space usable during all times of the day. Have stationary furniture and operable furniture that can move with the sun, so that people can remain in the shade, or in the sun depending on the time of year. There should be places for food, and it should be designed to attract all ages of people, a play ground so kids could have fun, and the cafes or restaurants so the parents can sit and watch their children. The area needs some kind of water feature to provide climate control. The area needs to be user friendly well lit during the night so it can be used at all times. The designer should make it to where the place is accessible by vehicular traffic as well as the pedestrian traffic. Also it should be designed to hold different events, like concerts, and family days. These spaces should attract people in and have enough amenities to keep them there, making it as user friendly as possible.
ReplyDeleteBradley Rich