How Does a Public Space Work?

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyles/2013/09/anatomy-public-space/7003

Hello Everyone:

Wow, we really jumped in the page views.  It seems like only last week we hit 3500, now we're at 3651.  That's quite a leap from one week to the next.  Do you think it's possible we can do 4000 page views?  I have 5000 page views in mind as my year end goal.  Maybe we can shoot for that.

"Welcome to University City"
apartmentsatpenn.com

Today, I would like to discuss what makes up public space.  It's not something the average person considers because public space just seems to be a constant, like electricity or water.  Emily Badger, in her article "Anatomy of a Public Space," (see above link) examines how University City in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania came about and became a success.  Two years ago, traffic engineers paved a lane of roadway in front of the 30th Street Station, creating a broad sidewalk fifty feet across and 565 feet long.  The University City District organization invested about a quarter of a million dollars in tables, chairs, and umbrellas for the space, not bolted to the ground.  Since then, the space, a
cross between a pop-up park and permanent icon, has become quite popular like nearby Rittenhouse Square Park.  People come to University City to read, have lunch, or just people watch.  At a glance, people are using this public space.  The real question is How are people using it?

Rittenhouse Square
apartmenttherapy.com

Map of University City
drexel.edu

For the most part, this is a very nice looking, very large sidewalk.  "But there are choices," says Seth Budick, the policy and research manager for the University City District.  By not bolting down the furniture, people can make lots of choices: sit in the sun or the shade; by themselves or with a group.  People can decide how to move through the space.  How people use and move through the space is what attracts Mr. Budick's attention.  What are the factors that impact the users' choices.  In short, how do you create a space that can be experienced by commuters rushing to catch a train and those who want to linger for a while with an iPad?  How do you design a plaza that is is spacious enough for the lunchtime rush yet not empty during the the mid-morning?  What do Philadelphians really want from the city's "front porch:" a seat in the middle of a busy crowd or a private place on the perimeter to watch people?

"The Porch"
universitycity.org

From the start, the UCD's plan was set up to be light and flexible, then study what happened next.  The result, thus far, documented in a report prepared with Interface Studio, presented a wildly intricate picture of how people walked through, where they preferred to sit, and what role shadow plays in this one block space.  The space is divided into small "rooms" by trees.  The plaza has a full-time concierge who oversees the activities that take place: outdoor yoga classes, farmer's market, concerts, and other programming.  Hmm, outdoor yoga classes sounds great, where do I sign up.  In the course of is duties, the concierge helped collect data in the spring and summer of 2012 with a survey tool, noting the weather, a pedestrian's location in the plaza and approximate age, whether someone was carrying a bag and stopped to read the informational sign, or used a cell phone.

Sprucehill-Greenline
city-data.com

The data was collected between April and October of 2012.  User census collected information on 24,698 people.  Separate data collection tracked 290 lunchtime users (0.5% left litter behind-yea recycling) and directly  surveyed another 388 people on how they arrived at the space: 94% came on foot, bike, or mass transit.  One result was that people migrating through the plaza tended to gravitate toward the western end.  Different parts of the porch were also used frequently for different reasons, with people seeking a quiet place at the eastern end.  Noise levels measured closer to the main thoroughfare Market Street were ten times louder than those along Little Market Street, adjacent to to the station-offered a partial explanation why people tended not to linger in part of the plaza.  The louder noise (70-75 decibels) was similar to a vacuum cleaner, while the quieter sound (60 decibels) was more like a conversation at close range.

University City, Autumn 2010
hipsterhenry.com

Another interesting find was people shifted increasingly toward the shaded areas as temperature rose during the summer.  While this isn''t rocket science, but the data supports intuitive design, something important in creating a public space when there's little funds available.  If all you can do is light interventions, you can ensure that they work with how people move and use the space.  "In the office, we started looking at pictures of Bryant Park of Rittenhouse Square and fantasizing about what [this] could be," says Prema Gupta, the director of planning and economic for UCD, recalling the beginning stages of the project.  The planners and designers had a choice, they could have built that idealized vision, still be fundraising for it, and the sidewalk would've remained blank.

Autumn in West Philadelphia
visitphilly,com

Rather than take that path, the UCD is learning that a farmer's market may not work there but food trucks do.  The bistro chairs are a nice touch but Luxembourg chairs work better.  Besides who wants to relax in the middle of a busy pedestrian walkway.  Ms. Gupta uses the analogy of Facebook when describing the project's goals, "I'd say our goals are similar to Facebook's goals: We want as many people as possible to use the site and stay for a long time and have a meaningful experience.  And think of what Facebook looked like a couple of years ago.  It's constantly evolving, tweaking, changing.

One final note, Tower Records still needs your help.  Please go to http://www.change.org and sign the online petition.  Also email Council Member Stephanie Reich at sreich@weho.org to let her know why this building should not be demolished to make way for another high-end mixed used development.


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