Extra credit：The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces ---CAI YAYU

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is a book by William H. White on the design of urban public spaces, based on the observations of the Street Life Project research team he organized in 1970, which observed 16 squares, three small parks and many street corners in New York City. How do you create a humane small urban space? Their observations revealed what kind of spaces people like to sit in, to talk in, to stay in. What kind of spaces are suitable for people to stay.

Life in the Square

The first part of the study looked at the square. They used observation and interviews to find out who was using the squares, where they came from, where they worked, how often they came here, what their impressions of the squares were and what they did in them. They found that most of the people using the squares were young people working in nearby buildings and that in some of the better-used squares there were more pairs of people. Depending on the season and the climate, the number of people in the square varied considerably during the hours when it reached its peak. They found that when people are socializing in the square, the square attracts more people, thus increasing the use of the square. Not only groups of people who want to socialize, but also individual individuals choose the lively squares.
Regardless of why they come and where they go, people will prefer to go to a lively place because there are other people there. Even if two people are talking, they will choose to walk and talk because it allows for more options, as it can be interrupted and continued. And the reason just needs to be retired to the crowded crowd. When people stop to talk in the square, they usually stand right in the middle of the moving crowd. They like to be near flagpoles or statues, places with clear boundaries, and rarely stop in a large, empty space.

Sitting bench spaces

The second part of the study looks at sitting benches in public spaces. Some squares are crowded at all times of the day, while others have very few people. The reason for this is whether there is a place to 'sit' in the square. When there is a place to sit in a public space, people can relax and sit down, and this does not only mean benches, but also the edges of flower beds in the green belt, stairways up and down, etc.
For example, there is plenty of space to 'sit' in Seagram Square, and people like to stay there. There are no overly decorated handrails, no bushes and no unwarranted changes in elevation, but the steps are a good place to 'sit'. The width of the seat, the presence of a backrest and the height of the seat were the criteria for people's choice. They found that people chose to sit at a height of 0.3 to 0.9 meters, but the most suitable height was 0.43 meters.
Fixed stools are often used in public spaces, stone piers or fixed stone benches, neat pieces of wood placed on a fixed steel frame or the like. This fixes people's interactions and the choice and use of benches, for example when a person sees a row of benches, the first thing they do is choose a bench that no one is sitting on yet and the social distance between people is fixed. But people don't actually like forced choices very much.
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art there are 200 movable chairs on the plaza and they found that people consciously move them a little when they go to sit. In public spaces where it is not necessary, people actually do not want to be manipulated by designers, but choose their own space, even if only a little, to maintain their sense of privacy and choice. The management problems are not as great as expected.

Sun, wind, trees and water

The third part of the study looked at sunlight, wind, trees and water in public spaces. Their research found that people love the warmth of the sun so much that as the sun moves, so do the people sitting inside the square. Wherever there is sun, they sit, and corners without sun are almost untouched. Facing south is therefore crucial, and Seagram Square is ample proof of this. But continuing to look around reveals that the association between sunlight and people sitting in the square disappears, the sun is moving while the people are not, the reason being that the warmth has increased enough for the sun to no longer be a key factor. So what happens in places that do not receive sunlight, when the reflection of the surrounding buildings becomes particularly important.

The wind is as important as the sun, and people prefer a sheltered and sunny location. In this regard, a small park surrounded by three sides works best. A sunny and windproof space will be frequented even in extremely cold weather, for example in Greenback Park. If there are no three-sided enclosures, semi-open outdoor spaces can also be built, which can be used in poorer climates as well as in normal weather conditions.

Spaces under trees, on the other hand, give a sense of security, and when trees are combined with spaces where one can sit, people choose to be there. Water is usually avoided in public spaces, and people are prevented from coming into contact with it for safety reasons. However, the judicious use of the water wall can create a private and relaxed public space by isolating the noise of the street and the sound of other people's conversations.