Understanding Public Squares Project Brief:
The Place Diagram:
As a final year architecture student at DAAP, I have begun to realize a growing interest in exploring scales larger than architecture, particularly those of urban public squares. Growing up in India has made me accustomed to settings of high-density cities, such that I have begun to enjoy studying the complex dynamics of urban life.
“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 blue ring. In the green ring outside these main criteria are a number of intuitive or qualitative aspects by which to judge a place; the next outer yellow ring shows the quantitative aspects that can be measured by statistics or research.�
A school trip to Europe in August, 2014 then presented the perfect platform for me to engage in this Independent Study, that has allowed me to launch my research and documentation of public spaces in some high-density cities visited during this trip, particularly New York City, Paris, Rome and Istanbul. My main source of preparation for this research came from the resources of Project for Public Spaces, a New York-based NGO that is actively involved in planning and improving urban spaces throughout the world. With the help of an assessment tool developed by the NGO called The Place Diagram, I studied the Accessibility, Sociability, Activity and Comfort and Image components in different case studies. The challenge then was to observe and document the ways in which some of the most successful public squares in these cities incorporated these attributes in their own context and to begin to understand the ways in which these spaces were benefiting their surroundings.
Juhi Goel B.Sc Architecture University of Cincinnati Class of 2015
More at pps.org
Place de la Rèpublique Republic Square
+ Located in Paris, France + Transformed this year to become the largest public pedestrian square in Paris + Houses monument devoted to the Third Republic in 1879, now added with water features, cafe pavilion, Games store. + Vast scale but with priority to the pedestrians and cyclists + Occupied primarily by locals
all age group users: children to elderly
skateboarding & cycling plaza exhibitions
variety of cultures diverse wide range of activities
Family games center (L’R de Jeux)
active fun
neighborly
special
welcoming relative number of women cooperative interactive
live music performances
Sociability
Uses & Activities
beneficial
surrounded by food & retail
PLACE public transit systems: bus stop & subway
proximity connected
parking availability
Access & Linkage
Comfort & Image
public user friendly attractive
convenient accessible
pedestrian traffic central location for neighborhood
public toilets water features & greenery
sittable historic identity
drinking fountain
seating as benches, ledges & steps
monument-fountain of French Republique: spot for protests, speeches, etc
Place Igor Stravinsky Stravinsky Square
+ Located in Paris, France + Placed next to the Centre Georges Pompidou and directly above the IRCAM, the center’s subterranean music department, the fountain consists of sixteen separate Tinguely sculptures inspired by Stravinsky’s music. + It seems fitting that such a modern fountain be built near the most famous modern museum in Paris. + Intimate scale + Occupied by tourists as well as locals
all age group users: children to elderly relative number of women occupied by different income groups children play here after school hours
street performers: musicians, yoga display street artists at work
diverse
fun
neighborly
special
welcoming Uses & Activities
Sociability
cooperative
local street vendors with diverse goods & services
active
celebratory beneficial
lined by restaurants on one side
attractive clean
water features wall art
PLACE public transit: subway
proximity
Access & Linkage
connected
bike racks high pedestrian traffic from places of interest nearby
Comfort & Image
walkable
sittable
convenient accessible
artistic identity
two schools nearby tourist attraction: adjacent Pompidou Museum Center
Tinguely fountains: dynamic, colorful, interactive display by Pompidou Center
seating ledge around fountain
Pompidou Center
Piazza del Popolo People’s Square
+ Located in Rome, Italy + Marks the historical North Gate entrance of Rome & was a traveller’s first view of the city + Houses monuments, fountains brought to Rome from Egypt + Large urban landmark square + Vast scale + Occupied primarily by locals
accessible to various age groups
stalls & exhibitions adjacent properties
number of women and children friendly neighborly
volunteerism
local-tourist interactions
active indigenous
welcoming street life: kids running interactive around plaza
Sociability
Uses & Activities
beneficial fun
street performers: musicians, dancers, etc
PLACE public transit: subway nearby
proximity
Access & Linkage
connected
accessible
pedestrian zone plaza open space for cyclists
green attractive
readable clear signage
clean
Comfort & Image sittable historic identity
surrounding building conditions
benches in park; steps, ledges at square
Egyptian obelisk monument, Egyptian lion fountains as a symbol
Union Square + Located in New York City, USA + Small urban square + Medium to intimate scale + Social hub for locals Rest stop for shoppers + Marks the historical intersection of two major thoroughfares of Manhattan + Displays monuments of Washington, Lincoln, Gandhi, etc.
accessible to various income groups used throughout the day
street life: soccer players interact with public
street performers: musicians, dancers, artists,etc
diverse
active fun
neighborly
homegrown affordable
welcoming Sociability
everchanging activities
regular farmer’s market setup
Uses & Activities
chess games surrounded by restaurants & retail
beneficial
PLACE public transit: subway
proximity connected
high pedestrian traffic
Access & Linkage
Comfort & Image
public user friendly attractive sittable
accessible
street closed off to cars heart of office, commercial, retail district Manhattan
historic identity
drinking fountain
adjoining park greenery
benches in park; steps, ledges at square
statues of Washington, Lincoln, Gandhi, etc are spots for protests & speeches
Conclusion Key Observations:
Benefits of Public Squares:
+ It was very interesting to see how the same attributes and intagibles were incorporated in completely different ways in the different public squares to indicate that social tendencies of people are the same throughout. + The real challenge is to adapt this general model, for some essential characteristics of the public realm that people throughout the world enjoy, to the context of the location they are planned for. + Public spaces are exceptionally beneficial to their surrounding community in ways that are detailed very well in the adjecent diagram (to the right) created by Project For Public Spaces.
Way Forward: I put this model to practice by applying it to create a design proposal for an effective public square in Istanbul, where this concept is still missing or underdeveloped (refer to Links). I hope to continue learning from this model in its use as a base reference in the future.
References: Project for Public Spaces Wikipedia (history of public squares)
Photo credits (unless otherwise mentioned): Rheaa Rao Juhi Goel
Links: Click here to download my design proposal for an effective public square in Istanbul. Click here to download my reflective essay on the experience of documenting these public squares.