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Further Information andUpdates
1: Seating Priorities
Henry Shaftoe
(A version of this article appeared in Landscape - the Journal
of the Landscape Institute, February 2009)
Successful public spaces are places where citizens want to be.
One of the best ways to encourage people to tarry in an urban
public space is to provide suitable opportunities to sit down.
Indeed some recent research I undertook into the preferences
of users of public space found that "sitting places" was their
second most important requirement (after "space that is
welcoming, regardless of age, culture or wealth"). Most public
open spaces do contain seating, but far too often it is of the
wrong kind in the wrong place. One can't help wondering if
such seating has been installed because it fills a gap on the
designer's plan; with the choice of seating being chosen for
ease of maintenance rather than comfort or potential usage.
In my view, public space designs are too often based on visualaesthetic principles and clever symbolism (eg: using a visual
motif to represent the place's history or context), which look
good on paper and may appeal to those commissioning the
work, but don't necessarily translate into convivial spaces for
people to use.
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1: A new public space, but who would want to sit there? Note too the use of two
CCTV cameras trained on the seating
My observations of the use of public spaces in the UK and
abroad have led me to certain conclusions about the best
placement and design of sitting opportunities. I have used the
latter term ("sitting opportunities") rather than "seating"
because I have noted that the most popular places for people
to sit are not necessarily benches or seats as such.
There appear to be some basic human preferences for
seating, which if we note and address, could lead to much
better design of sitting opportunities. Some of these
preferences are to do with: protection from the rear, viewingposition and alignment or distribution for social interaction.
Watching your back
Generally, people do not like to have their backs vulnerably
exposed to strangers. This is probably a basic human survival
tactic and can even be observed in restaurants, where tables
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around the walls are nearly always preferred to tables in the
middle of the room, which feel much too exposed.
People prefer to observe, rather than be observed in public
space and not knowing what might be going on behind you
can be an uncomfortable experience. Yet it is extraordinaryhow many public seats are located in exposed positions that
do not recognise this basic human need:
2: seating with no rear protection, Bristol
Seating with rear protection is more likely to be used and has
the advantage that it can often be "built in" and is cause less
of an obstruction to circulation.
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3: Built-in seating, Bristol
Watching the world go by
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4: Antic hospital, Barcelona
As well as for conversational and resting reasons, people sit
down in public space to observe others. This is a perennially
popular human activity and is best done from a viewpoint that
matches or exceeds the standing height of other people. This
may also be traceable back to evolutionary survival tactics
where it is better not to be in an inferior position when
encountering strangers. Therefore the public bench height isunsuitable and I have seen myriad examples of people
overcoming this height problem by either sitting on the backs
of benches or eschewing them altogether in favour of a higher
ledge.
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5: Birmingham
It should be possible to design seating to facilitate this higherpoint-of-view and indeed the simple example below from
Western France offers this opportunity as well as providing a
built-in table when needed:
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6: Ile de R, France
Opportunities to interact or not
Sometimes people just want to sit in a safe vantage point or
in splendid isolation, but often they are sitting with friends, or
people they may wish to communicate with. In the latter
cases the seating has to enable group interaction to happen.
Putting seats in straight rows is useless for this as it only
allows for you to speak to the one person immediately
adjacent to you on either side.
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7: These young people in Budapest have avoided the straight seating in the
background, as it would not have allowed for proper group interaction.
The best type of open-space seating is moveable, as it allowsusers to create their own temporary social spaces for the
many possible types of social interaction.
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8: Parade Gardens, Bath
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9: Jardins de Luxembourg, Paris
Concerns about theft of seating can be dealt with by having
open spaces that can be closed off at night (as in the cases of
Bath Promenade Gardens and Paris Jardins de Luxembourg,
above) or just by good stewardship. Moveable chairs can be
either of the type that are easily packable away (usually
deckchairs) or heavy enough that they are not easy to run off
with. Moveable seating has been successful in selected public
spaces of many large European and American cities including
the South Bank of London last summer:
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10: Outside the National Theatre, South Bank, London
Distribution
People have a strong sense of personal space - how near it is
acceptable to be in relation to others. In general people will
seat themselves well away from others already sitting in that
space. As the space becomes more crowded the distribution
becomes more compressed, but people still attempt to
maximise their distance from strangers or use body
positioning to separate themselves. This is why moveableseating or general sitting opportunities, such as plinths, wide
stairways or grass lawns are so good and adaptable, as they
allow for different densities of use without forcing people
together in a predetermined way.
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11:The Mound, Edinburgh
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12: Padua, Italy
Conclusion
This brief resum of the psychology and sociology of sitting in
public has suggested ways we can provide sitting
opportunities that people are likely to take advantage of.
Obvious conclusions from all this are: that a range of seating
places are necessary, with maximum flexibility and that the
standard issue steel or timber "bench" is usually not the best
provision.
A good way to come up with a suitable range of sitting
opportunities would be through a two stage process. Firstly
one would provide a provisional layout, with an oversupply of
sitting opportunities, to be available for use until a post-
occupancy evaluation clarified where people were actually
sitting. Then one could remove the unused seating (generally
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easy to identify visually) and, if necessary, enhance the
spaces were people are actually sitting down.
Often the best sitting opportunities arise from designs where
the apparent intention was not to provide "seats". Now that
we know a bit more about how and where people like to sit,perhaps we can consciously produce these "accidentally on
purpose" designs.
13: "Accidental seating", Budapest, Hungary
Henry Shaftoeis an urban designer and senior lecturer in the
School of Planning and Architecture at the University of the
West of England, Bristol. He is the author of"Convivial Urban
Spaces: Creating Effective Public Places", published by Earthscan in
2008
06-11-2012
http://www.convivialspaces.org/updates.htm
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What Makes a SuccessfulPlace?
ByProject for Public Spaceson Dec 30, 2009 |Leave a Comment and 0 Reactions
Great public spaces are where celebrations are held, social
and economic exchanges take place, friends run into each
other, and cultures mix. They are the front porches of our
public institutions libraries, field houses, neighborhood
schools where we interact with each other and
government. When the spaces work well, they serve as a
stage for our public lives.
What makes some places succeed while others fail?
In evaluating thousands of public spaces around the world,
PPS has found that successful ones have four key qualities:
they are accessible; people are engaged in activities
there; the space is comfortable and has a good image; and
finally, it is a sociable place: one where people meet each
other and take people when they come to visit. PPS
developed The Place Diagram as a tool to help people in
judging any place, good or bad:
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Imagine that the center circle on the diagram is a specific
place that you know: a street corner, a playground, a plaza
outside a building. You can evaluate that place according to
four criteria in the red ring. In the ring outside these main
criteria are a number of intuitive or qualitative aspects by
which to judge a place; the next outer ring shows the
quantitative aspects that can be measured by statistics or
research.
.
Access & Linkages
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You can judge the
accessibility of a place by its connections to its
surroundings, both visual and physical. A successful public
space is easy to get to and get through; it is visible both
from a distance and up close. The edges of a space are
important as well: For instance, a row of shops along a
street is more interesting and generally safer to walk by than
a blank wall or empty lot. Accessible spaces have a high
parking turnover and, ideally, are convenient to public
transit.
(Photo:Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland, OR)
Questions to consider on Access & Linkages: Can you see the space from a distance? Is its interior visible from the outside? Is there a good connection between the space and the adjacent
buildings, or is it surrounded by blank walls? Do occupants of adjacent
buildings use the space?
Can people easily walk to the place? For example, do they have todart between moving cars to get to the place?
Do sidewalks lead to and from the adjacent areas? Does the space function for people with special needs?
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Do the roads and paths through the space take people where theyactually want to go?
Can people use a variety of transportation options bus train, car,bicycle, etc. to reach the place?
Are transit stops conveniently located next to destinations such aslibraries, post offices, park entrances, etc.?
.
Comfort & Image
Whether a space is
comfortable and presents itself well has a good image is
key to its success. Comfort includes perceptions about
safety, cleanliness, and the availability of places to sit the
importance of giving people the choice to sit where they
want is generally underestimated. Women in particular are
good judges on comfort and image, because they tend to be
more discriminating about the public spaces they use.
(Photo:Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, France)
Questions to consider on Comfort & Image: Does the place make a good first impression? Are there more women than men?
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Are there enough places to sit? Are seats conveniently located? Dopeople have is a choice of places to sit, either in the sun or shade?
Are spaces are clean and free of litter? Who is responsible formaintenance? What do they do? When?
Does the area feel safe? Is there a security presence? If so, what dothese people do? When are they on duty?
Are people taking pictures? Are there many photo opportunitiesavailable?
Do vehicles dominate pedestrian use of the space, or prevent them
from easily getting to the space?.
Uses & Activities
Activities are the basic
building blocks of a place. Having something to do gives
people a reason to come to a place and return. When
there is nothing to do, a space will be empty and that
generally means that something is wrong.
(Photo:Kungstradgarden, Stockholm, Sweden)
Principles to keep in mind in evaluating the uses and
activities of a place:
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The more activities that are going and that people have an opportunity toparticipate in, the better.
There is a good balance between men and women (women are moreparticular about the spaces that they use).
People of different ages are using the space (retired people andpeople with young children can use a space during the day when
others are working).
The space is used throughout the day. A space that is used by both singles and people in groups is better
than one that is just used by people alone because it means that there
are places for people to sit with friends, there is more socializing, and
it is more fun.
The ultimate success of a space is how well it is managed.
Questions to consider on Uses & Activities: Are people using the space or is it empty? Is it used by people of different ages? Are people in groups? How many different types of activities are occurring people walking,
eating, playing baseball, chess, relaxing, reading?
Which parts of the space are used and which are not? Are there choices of things to do? Is there a management presence, or can you identify anyone is in
charge of the space?
.
Sociability
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This is a difficult quality for a
place to achieve, but once attained it becomes an
unmistakable feature. When people see friends, meet and
greet their neighbors, and feel comfortable interacting with
strangers, they tend to feel a stronger sense of place or
attachment to their community and to the place that
fosters these types of social activities.
(Photo:Jackson Square, New Orleans, LA)
Questions to consider on Sociability: Is this a place where you would choose to meet your friends? Are others meeting
friends here or running into them? Are people in groups? Are they talking with one another? Do people seem to know each other by face or by name? Do people bring their friends and relatives to see the place or do they
point to one of its features with pride?
Are people smiling? Do people make eye contact with each other? Do people use the place regularly and by choice? Does a mix of ages and ethnic groups that generally reflect the
community at large?
Do people tend to pick up litter when they see it?
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06-11-2012
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Eleven Principles forCreating Great Community
PlacesByProject for Public Spaceson Aug 10, 2009 |Leave a Comment and 0 Reactions
Effective public spaces are extremely difficult to accomplish,
because their complexity is rarely understood. As William
(Holly) Whyte said, Its hard to design a space that will not
attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has
been accomplished.
PPS has identified 11 key elements in transforming public
spaces into vibrant community places, whether theyre
parks, plazas, public squares, streets, sidewalks or the
myriad other outdoor and indoor spaces that have public
uses in common. These elements are:
The Community Is The Expert
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The important starting point in
developing a concept for any public space is to identify the
talents and assets within the community. In any community
there are people who can provide an historical perspective,
valuable insights into how the area functions, and an
understanding of the critical issues and what is meaningful to
people. Tapping this information at the beginning of the
process will help to create a sense of community ownership in
the project that can be of great benefit to both the project
sponsor and the community.
Create a Place, Not a DesignIf your goal is to create a place (which we think it should be), a
design will not be enough. To make an under-performing
space into a vital place, physical elements must be
introduced that would make people welcome and comfortable,
such as seating and new landscaping, and also through
management changes in the pedestrian circulation pattern
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and by developing more effective relationships between the
surrounding retail and the activities going on in the public
spaces. The goal is to create a place that has both a strong
sense of community and a comfortable image, as well as a
setting and activities and uses that collectively add up to
something more than the sum of its often simple parts. This is
easy to say, but difficult to accomplish.
Look for PartnersPartners are critical to the future success and image of a
public space improvement project. Whether you want partners
at the beginning to plan for the project or you want to
brainstorm and develop scenarios with a dozen partners who
might participate in the future, they are invaluable in providing
support and getting a project off the ground. They can be local
institutions, museums, schools and others.
You Can See a Lot Just By ObservingWe can all learn a great deal from others successes and
failures. By looking at how people are using (or not using)
public spaces and finding out what they like and dont like
about them, it is possible to assess what makes them work or
not work. Through these observations, it will be clear what
kinds of activities are missing and what might be incorporated.
And when the spaces are built, continuing to observe them
will teach even more about how to evolve and manage them
over time.
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Have a Vision
The vision needs to come out of
each individual community. However, essential to a vision for
any public space is an idea of what kinds of activities might be
happening in the space, a view that the space should be
comfortable and have a good image, and that it should be an
important place where people want to be. It should instill a
sense of pride in the people who live and work in the
surrounding area.
Start with the Petunias: Lighter, Quicker, CheaperThe complexity of public spaces is such that you cannot
expect to do everything right initially. The best spaces
experiment with short term improvements that can be testedand refined over many years! Elements such as seating,
outdoor cafes, public art, striping of crosswalks and pedestrian
havens, community gardens and murals are examples of
improvements that can be accomplished in a short time.
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TriangulateTriangulation is the process by which some external stimulus
provides a linkage between people and prompts strangers to
talk to other strangers as if they knew each other (Holly
Whyte). In a public space, the choice and arrangement of
different elements in relation to each other can put the
triangulation process in motion (or not). For example, if a
bench, a wastebasket and a telephone are placed with no
connection to each other, each may receive a very limited
use, but when they are arranged together along with otheramenities such as a coffee cart, they will naturally bring
people together (or triangulate!). On a broader level, if a
childrens reading room in a new library is located so that it is
next to a childrens playground in a park and a food kiosk is
added, more activity will occur than if these facilities were
located separately.
They Always Say It Cant Be DoneOne of Yogi Berras great sayings is If they say it cant be
done, it doesnt always work out that way, and we have found
it to be appropriate for our work as well. Creating good public
spaces is inevitably about encountering obstacles, because
no one in either the public or private sectors has the job or
responsibility to create places. For example, professionals
such as traffic engineers, transit operators, urban planners
and architects all have narrow definitions of their job
facilitating traffic or making trains run on time or creating long
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term schemes for building cities or designing buildings. Their
job, evident in most cities, is not to create places. Starting
with small scale community-nurturing improvements can
demonstrate the importance of places and help to overcome
obstacles.
Form Supports Function
The input from the community
and potential partners, the understanding of how other spaces
function, the experimentation, and overcoming the obstacles
and naysayers provides the concept for the space. Although
design is important, these other elements tell you what form
you need to accomplish the future vision for the space.
Money Is Not the IssueThis statement can apply in a number of ways. For example,
once youve put in the basic infrastructure of the public
spaces, the elements that are added that will make it work
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(e.g., vendors, cafes, flowers and seating) will not be
expensive. In addition, if the community and other partners
are involved in programming and other activities, this can also
reduce costs. More important is that by following these steps,
people will have so much enthusiasm for the project that the
cost is viewed much more broadly and consequently as not
significant when compared with the benefits.
You Are Never FinishedBy nature good public spaces that respond to the needs, the
opinions and the ongoing changes of the community require
attention. Amenities wear out, needs change and other things
happen in an urban environment. Being open to the need for
change and having the management flexibility to enact that
change is what builds great public spaces and great cities and
towns.
06-11-2012
http://www.pps.org/reference/11steps/
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The Power of 10
ByProject for Public Spaceson Jan 3, 2009 |Leave a Comment and 0 Reactions
The Power of 10 is a concept PPS uses to start off a
Placemaking process. The idea is that its not enough to
have just one great place in a neighborhood- you need a
number of them to create a truly lively city or town. Its notenough to have only one superior neighborhood in a city-
you need to provide people all over town with close-to-home
opportunities to take pleasure in public life. And, its not
enough to have one livable city or town in a region- you
need a collection of interesting communities.
Everywhere we bring up this idea, citizens become more
energized to turn their places around. The Power of 10
offers an easy framework that motivates residents and
stakeholders to revitalize urban life, and shows that by
starting efforts at the smallest scale you can accomplish big
things. The concept also provides people something
tangible to strive for and helps them visualize what it takes
to make their community great.
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The front of this public building in Melbourne, Australia has ten reasons to be there
At the core of the Power of 10 is the idea that any great
place itself needs to offer at least 10 things to do or 10
reasons to be there. These could include a place to sit,
playgrounds to enjoy, art to touch, music to hear, food to
eat, history to experience, and people to meet. Ideally, some
of these activities are unique to that particular spot and are
interesting enough to keep people coming back. The local
folks who use the space most regularly are the best source
of ideas for what uses will work best.
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A great destination has at least 10 places within it, each with 10 things to do
Its the Placemakers role to encourage everyone to think
about whats special in their communities. How many quality
places are located nearby, and how are they connected?
Are there places that should be more meaningful but arent?
Answering these questions can help residents and
stakeholders determine -both individually and collectively-
where they need to focus their energies.
Whether youre talking about places in a given
neighborhood or great neighborhoods within a city, 10 canalso refer to the ultimate goals of variety and choice. When
we talk about the Power of 10, we are stressing the fact
that we should always think of how Placemaking can be
accomplished at all scales.
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06-11-2012
http://www.pps.org/reference/the-power-of-10/
The Origin of the Power of10
ByProject for Public Spaceson Jan 2, 2009 |Leave a Comment and 0 Reactions
Early in 2004 we were asked by Mimi Gates, director of the
Seattle Art Museum, to review plans for a new wing of the
building. PPS President Fred Kent and Senior Vice
President Kathy Madden were touring the Museum grounds
with a group of local citizens, brainstorming how best to
generate public activity around the building. Ideas were
flying, and gradually Kent and Madden articulated a vision
for a series of focal points on the grounds and inside the
lobby.
As the discussion continued, someone asked, How many
separate focal points do you need to make it successful?
At PPS, we usually dont talk in terms of numbers, so Kent
and Madden gave the question a few minutes thought. They
wanted to offer a challenging answer, but not something that
would feel completely out of reach. 10, Kent finally said.
But we cant just plop down 10 pieces of sculpture and say
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thats enough. We also need 10 things to do at each focal
point.
The entrance to the Seattle Art Museum represents an opportunity to create a focal point for
public activity...
This experience got everyone at PPS thinking about what
precisely makes great places great. Its really comes down
to offering a variety of things to do in one spot making a
place more than the sum of its parts. A park is good. A park
with a fountain, playground, and popcorn vendor is better. A
library across the street is even better, more so if they
feature storytelling hours for kids and exhibits on local
history. If theres a sidewalk caf nearby, a bus stop, a bike
trail, and an ice cream parlor, then you have what most
people would consider a great place.
What if a neighborhood had 10 places that were that good?
The area would then achieve a critical mass a series of
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destinations where residents and tourists alike would
become immersed in the life of the city for days at a time.
...and if we created ten places in downtown Seattle as good as the revitalized Art Museum,
then it would be a great district.
Taking the next step, what if a city could boast 10 such
neighborhoods? Then every resident would have access to
outstanding public spaces within walking distance of their
homes. Thats the sort of goal we need to set for all cities if
we are serious about enhancing and revitalizing urban life.
We can go even further. How? Apply this idea on a regional
scale by linking towns and cities, with major public spaces
and mixed-use neighborhoods serving as the connections.
That could be the basis for a new paradigm of regional
development that sweeps away the destructive pattern ofmore freeways, big box stores, and cookie-cutter
subdivisions.
PPS calls this concept thePower of 10(we are indebted to
the classic short film, Powers of 10, by Charles and Ray
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Eames), but theres no reason to get fixated on a particular
number. Whats essential to keep in mind are the ultimate
goals of variety and choice.
If your goal is to build a great city, its not enough to have
a single use dominate a particular place you need an
array of activities for people. Its not enough to have just one
great place in a neighborhood you need a number of
them to create a truly lively community. Its not enough to
have one great neighborhood in a city you need to
provide people all over town with close-to-home
opportunities to take pleasure in public life. And its not
enough to have one livable city or town in a region you
need a collection of interesting communities.
Greenwich Village compensates for a lack of outstanding individual public spaces with its
abundance of street-level attractions.
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Flexibility is one of the chief values of using thePower of 10
as a framework for thinking about place. Take the
neighborhood where the PPS office was formerly located,
Greenwich Village in New York City. The area may not
contain10 great public spaces in the usual sense of the
term, but it makes up for this deficiency with a vibrant
streetlife and hundreds of small cafes, bars, restaurants,
theaters, and small shops enlivening the neighborhood area.
Likewise, weve visited towns too small to possess 10 or
even three distinct neighborhoods, but which succeed asplaces nonetheless thanks to lively public gathering spots.
You can bend the principles behind the Power of 10, as long
as you preserve the spirit.
Everywhere we bring up this idea, citizens become more
energized to turn their places around.The Power of 10
gives people something tangible to strive for it helps
them visualize what it takes to make their town or city great.
Its a way of reminding our clients, our readers and
ourselves that by starting efforts at the smallest scale, you
can make big changes
06-11-2012
http://www.pps.org/reference/poweroften/
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