Notes on William H Whyte: The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

William H. Whyte: The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces - The Street Corner

Ø  Patterns began to appear – diversity of activity – reading, playing, eating, talking

Ø  Time of day, temperature

Ø  Sociability is important

Ø  2’s 3’s mostly present in plaza observed

Ø  Busy place is the most congenial place if you wish to be alone

Ø  Number one activity is people watching – no mixing

Ø  Circulating people

Ø  Lovers are at the front or in the middle – the most conspicuous places

Ø  Corner provides a platform – an audience

Ø  Placement of people – congestion- access problems

Ø  Junction – street corner – connects life to the plaza

Ø  When people talk they geographically choose the centre of an area, entrance to the sunway and corner of N-S pedestrian flow

Ø  People standing alone – life passing him by

Ø  Sitting under trees – protection

Ø  Chorography – movement of people

Ø  Visually movement is the ultimate test of time

Ø  10:38 –  beautiful cinematography

Ø  People do not stop in the centre – usually around objects

Ø  People tend to sit where there are places to sit

Ø  Benches placed in isolation and dimensions are wrong

Ø  Planters should be low and hospitable

Ø  How many people are too many?

Ø  Capacity is self-levelling

Ø  Table use – men take front row and women take the rear

Ø  Movable chairs – people have a tendency to always move chairs

Ø  Most important thing about a place is its relationship to the street

Ø  Vigorous street life (Paley Square) passers-by are important, the visually enjoyment – secondary use is just as important as the primary use – people drawn into the square

Ø  People tend to mimic/reciprocate them after 8 seconds

Ø  Don’t sink plazas or place above street level – they get lost

Ø  Visual secondary use – curiosity people looking at people looking at other people

Ø  The ‘undesirable’ – drunks and homeless people

Ø  Sometime reassure us of our normality

Ø  Fencing in places do nothing to help it

Ø  SUN – people will usually sit in the sun but not so much the absence of sun but of light

Ø  WATER – look, feel, sound

Ø  The waterfront – simple elements make a great urban space. Nice views, places to sit and plenty of people

Ø  STREETS – places that people like best are those open to action but are slightly recessed – cave-like

Ø  FOOD – pit in food – lively place. Vendors etc. attract people. People who eat attract more people to snack bars

Ø  TRIANGULATION – performers – provides connection between people.

Ø  Sculptures – all things that make people converse and laugh

Ø  Drawing people in – crowds draw in other people

Ø  Windows into places (churches)

Ø  Making exciting places more lively

Ø  Closer to the action more people like it

Ø  Vendors – chit chat back and forth

Ø  Front of MM of Art – steps for city, placing chairs outside – this venue attracts performers and vendors

Ø  Key variable – SCALE in cities tendency can be to over scale – makes spaces empty

Ø  Success of a public square:

- close relationships to street

- Well enclosed by surrounding builders

- Well programed with activity

- Food, seating

- Most important – centre of town

- Old people, young, blue, while collar people

- place crowded, people all over the place, sitting and eating outdoors

- Lots of people, food, water to touch? Sitting, games activation – works as a place

Ø  ‘street is the river of life in the city’  - come to these places not to escape but to partake