User:Jessieg383/Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is a publishing of William H. Whyte’s findings of his Street Life project, a project studying pedestrian behavior and city dynamics. In the project, several discreet cameras were placed throughout New York City to capture people in their everyday lives, rather than isolating them in interviews. The publishing is a representation of decades of study of human interaction with the urban environment. The book (1980) and film (1988) have been useful in the planning and study of urban public spaces. In his publishing, Whyte discusses seven points from his study that are most important to a city and city life: relationship to the street, seating, sun, water, trees, food, and triangulation.

Relationship to the Street
The most important aspect of a space is its relationship to the street. As Whyte studied in small urban spaces, such as Paley Park and Greenacre Park, there is “vigorous life” both inside and outside the park. People looking into the park get a secondary use and seem to be happier simply by viewing it from the street. Musicians and other acts tend to set up outside of these smaller urban parks because they know spectators will be drawn in. The vestibule, which is a transitional entry space from a street into a plaza, serves as a social place in its own right. Because a space’s relationship to the street is so significant, areas that are cut off from the street seem to draw undesirables, especially when an area is completely fenced off.

Make the Place Sittable
Perhaps the most important point Whyte discovered concerning seating is that other areas of a plaza, which may not be primarily designed for seating, should double as seating space. People tend to gather on stairways or use low planters as seating. There should be no less than one linear foot of seating space per 30 square feet of open space, and the seating should be two backsides deep. If placing chairs in a space, movable chairs are preferred over built-in seating; people enjoy the feeling of choice and enjoy being in control.

Sun
Before beginning his observations, Whyte proposed that sun would be a chief factor in showing where people would gather. In the beginning of his study, he was correct in his ideas; however, over time, sunlight proved to be less significant. Sun really only has importance in the colder months. Some areas in a city cannot help if their sunlight is blocked from high rises or other features. However, if an area cannot get sun directly, it can obtain secondary light. This occurs in Paley Park, where light is bounced off a surrounding building, into the park.

Water
Water is an essential element in a city; it serves as a sound buffer against harsh noise. For example, Whyte notes that the water wall in Paley Park is 75 decibels; it serves its purpose well in blocking out other conversations in the park as well as ambient street noise. Sight and touch are also central aspects of water features in the city; people like to have fun in the water. Whyte studied the Ira Keller Fountain, in Portland, Oregon, which is a very popular place for groups to gather, wade around, and socialize. He states that the fountain is obviously dangerous, but because people know this, they take extra care in socializing in the feature.

Trees
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces describes the importance of trees in the city. More trees are needed to decrease the glare index. The glare index is a method of predicting the discomfort glare due to daylighting. The factors that affect the glare index include the size and position of windows, sky luminance, and interior luminance. Whyte feels that the situation is improving in New York City because when new buildings are built, they have a number of trees that they are now required to plant.

Food
Whyte discusses the importance of food carts and cafes in the city. People who eat attract more people who eat, so these carts tend to be very successful. They are a good place for social interaction. Cafes that place tables and seating closer together tend to create greater interaction between people going to and from their seats. Disposal of waste is an important aspect of the food vendors. Plenty of waste baskets need to be around, and workers also need to be in place to clean up in order to maintain a waste-free city.

Triangulation
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces explains triangulation as one of the seven important points of a city. Triangulation can be achieved when there is a "stimulus" along with an interaction between people. Whyte uses a mime as an example because it draws a crowd of differing individuals. Another example that Whyte discusses are sculptures; they are very important in a city because people can talk about, sit on, and interact with them.