Transforming Streets. A Child's Perspective. [An Urban Design Guidebook for child friendly streets] by Maria Sitzoglou

Have you ever observed a child walking on a street?

TRANSFORMING STREETS. A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE. Maria Sitzoglou

A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban Design In the Graduate Division Of the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

maria.sitzoglou@gmail.com

TRANSFORMING STREETS. A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE.

By Maria Sitzoglou A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Urban Design In the Graduate Division Of the University of California, Berkeley

Committee in charge: Professor Renee Chow, Chair Professor Peter Bosselmann Professor Michael Southworth Professor Elizabeth Macdonald Fall 2013

TRANSFORMING STREETS. A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE.

Contents Table of contents i Dedication iv Acknowledgements v Chapter 1.Re-thinking the public realm 1 1.1 -“Playing on my neighbourhood’s streets”. A nostalgic memory or a possible reality for the urban children of today?

1.2 The streets in the contemporary city are primarily designed to accommodate the vehicular traffic. The role of the sidewalk network within the urban fabric.

1.3 Building the thesis strategy 6 1.4 Implication of the project 10

Chapter 2. Transforming Streets 13 2.1 Aldo Van Eyck – The Playgrounds Project. 14 2.2 Herman Hertzberger - The polyvalent space + the multifunctional form

2.3 Child- Friendly Interventions in Public Spaces. 19 2.4 Parklets, San Francisco 19

Chapter 3. A Child’s Perspective 21 3.1 Urban environments can be designed to attract children’s attention and to promote creative play and social interchange.

3.2 Outdoor spaces nurture a child’s curiosity in many ways.

3.3 The way children perceive the urbanscape. - Comparison with the adults 30 3.4 How does the contemporary urban space respond to the childhood spatial needs? 35 a. street elements that spark the child’s curiosity 35 b. Playgrounds or play equipment? 37 c. The immediacy of the street 40 d. The playground as a city system and not as an isolated destination. 41 3.5 Conclusion 42

Chapter 4.Design Proposal 45 A. SIDEWALK DESIGN MANUAL for child-friendly streets 46 4.1 Type of Manual 46 4.2 Site Selection Checklist 46 4.3 Community Survey - Questionnaire 48 4.4 Design Issues & Design Tools 49 Intersection 49 Mid-block Crossing 52 Sidewalk Zoning 53 Shared Street 55 Street Equipment 56 School Sidewalk 57 B. SITE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES 60 Site #1: Hoff Street, Mission District, San Francisco. 63 Site #2: Valencia Street + 23rd Street Intersection, Mission District, San Francisco.

Site #3: Edison Elementary School, Dolores Street, Mission District, San Francisco.

Site #4: The Mission Playground, Valencia Street, Mission District, San Francisco.

Chapter 5.Conclusions 76 Bibliography 78 Appendix 81

Transforming Streets. A Child’s Perspective.

iii

to my parents Kostas and Rania, for giving me the courage to always follow my intuition. to my brother Haris, for always inspiring me to explore the world.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The idea for this thesis derived from my observation as a designer that the city sidewalks are usually plain public spaces that lack thoughtful design for their users. Recognizing that children are the age group most overlooked during the planning process, I decided to challenge myself and rethink the design of the sidewalk through the lens of a child. As I started this project, I was not sure where my research questions would lead, and what the design outcome might be. I am immensely thankful to my professors for accompanying me on this journey and helping me realize what I was aiming for and how to achieve my goal. I would like to thank, my professors in the order in which we shared the first thesis ideas: Professor Bosselmann for his invaluable support from the very first day I was admitted to the MUD program and for urging me to ask and answer the most difficult questions in order to defend my ideas; Professor Southworth, for sharing with me his invaluable knowledge and insights on designing for children and for all those long discussions about childhood memories, stories of his experience while working with and for children growing up in the city; Professor Renee Chow for her continuous support, for helping me to put my thoughts in order and form my concept and for giving me the courage to take on and try out my own ideas and Professor Macdonald for her valuable advice and feedback while working on my thesis. Finally, I want to thank my family Kostas, Rania and Haris as well as Thanasis, Linda and Alistair and my friends Angeliki, Annie, Stela, Alice and Isaak for the round the clock support during this entire intense year, for keeping me motivated, for inspiring me to think differently.

Berkeley, CA, USA November 2013

1 Re-thinking the public realm

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

1.1 -“Playing on my neighbourhood’s streets”. A nostalgic memory or a possible reality for the urban children of today? The broader goal of this thesis is to explore the possibility of transforming the sidewalk from what is typically seen as an interstitial space between the street and the building into an active, multi-purposed public space. In order to narrow down the aforementioned broad intention, the research focus is on the child as one of the sidewalk users. Since childhood is the age group that has been in general overlooked during the planning process, the objective for this project is to rethink the sidewalk space through the lens of a child. More specifically, to experience the city through the child’s perspective and design the city sidewalk as a rich learning environment. Therefore, the thesis statement is the following: “Rethinking the city sidewalk as an outdoor space to not only function as the most essential public space for every citizen but also to accommodate the children’s special needs as important users.” As a user-based design project the first step would be to identify the special characteristics and preferences of the chosen user group of this multifunctional public space and then propose guidelines and designs that will manage to fulfill the essential needs of its users, while facilitating an uninterrupted pedestrian flow. In other words, since the chosen user group for this research are the children growing up in the city, the purpose of this particular project is to accommodate the playing and learning activity in the space of the sidewalks and eventually transform the casual walk along this corridor from a mode of transportation into an interesting experience. Research through surveys1 of children’s behavior outside the home-school environment have revealed that the children’s access to a rich and wel- Street Play, “opening the fire hydrant”, coming outdoors setting contributes significantly to their development. 1970’s, New York More specifically, such experiences provide them with the ability to solve problems, develop their imagination, and form social interactions that can be to their benefit throughout their lives. However, the aforementioned observation raises the question whether the existing urbanscape of the metropolitan cities corresponds to the needs of families who raise their children in such a context. In summary, this thesis explores the city’s ability to be “played in”. Here, the activity of “play” receives a wider definition and is used to describe the activity of enjoying, imagining and eventually occupying the street space while increasing its sociability. When the design of public space is Street Playground, “potgieterstraat”, 2010 Amsterdam informed by the needs and the preferences of its users, it is likely to create an atmosphere that promotes a brisk daily street life.

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

1.2 The streets in the contemporary city are primarily designed to accommodate the vehicular traffic. The role of the sidewalk network within the urban fabric. The street network is a fundamental component that makes every city work. Since it connects everything around the urban context, this network generates the circulation in the city and forms the public realm. This network creates the life of the city.

Amsterdam

San Francisco

Portland

“What could a residential street -a street on which our children are brought up, adults live and old people spend their last days - what could such a street be like? What are the rights of street dwellers?”3 - D. Appleyard

The two main spatial elements that compose the street space are the traffic lanes and the sidewalks. In some cases, there are also additional bike lanes. The traffic lanes are the corridors that accommodate the vehicular traffic, the bike lanes are lanes designated for the bicycle circulation and lastly, the sidewalk is a multifunctional space that could be defined either as a corridor or a place. Spatially, the sidewalk is a narrow strip of paved surface, usually separated by 0.15 cm level difference from the traffic corridors. Although it is just a narrow space that often is overlooked, its role is rather essential since it is the place where a big part of the everyday city life takes place. Functionally, the sidewalk is the “lane” for the pedestrian flow, the “inbetween” zone between the public and the private property and the place for a variety of everyday life activities, such as “waiting at the bus stop”. Additionally, it is the space where all necessary functional street elements are placed such as trash bins, lampposts, parking meters, benches and where the urban nature is present in the form of street trees.

4. Sidewalk network, HoChi MInh, Vietnam. MIT SLAB survey

5. Mapping the sidewalk, William H. Whyte, Lexighton Avenue blockfront, NYC

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm || Spatial Analysis of a regular urban street

p r o p er t y l in e sidewalk traffic lanes public transportation/ bike/car sidewalk

buildings: private property traffic lanes: roadway corridor

private property private property

pedestrian realm

roadway corridor

private property

p r o p er t y l in e

sidewalk: pedestrian realm : study area

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

In order to fully comprehend the challenges and the assets of this space it is important to identify its users. Therefore, another variable is added to the analysis of the street, the demographics. || Sidewalk Users

Work

Park Home

School Recreation

Play

ground

Entertainment

Local shops

Demographically, the street shows a great variety in the types of its users. They are adults, children or elderly people, they are professionals, students or strollers and they use the sidewalk for going to somewhere, walking their dog, exercising and so on. The consideration of the multiuser activity that takes place on the sidewalk raises the question, whether the sidewalk in its existing form fulfills the needs for each one of its users; the city’s pedestrians. The sidewalk, although occupying only the 25-34% of the area that is claimed as the street on a planning map, it is a space of a great importance for the normal function of the city. It is used on a daily basis, for twentyfour hours long and it is always accessible to everyone. This observation highlights the need for a more conscious and detailed design of the sidewalk instead of a simple offset line of the existing property line, which is how nowadays it is commonly being designed. || Capturing the sidewalk life

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

1.3 Building the thesis strategy In order to test the aforementioned hypothesis of this project, a specific strategy will be followed: a.

Define the study age group of sidewalk users

For research purposes the chosen targeted user group is the group of ages between 7-12 years old. The selection of this age group is according to the developmental theory of a child’s conception of space by the Swiss psychologist, Jean Piaget. More specifically, the aforementioned age range is characterized as the “concrete operational stage”3 . During that stage the child is able to comprehend the “projective space”. According to Jean Piaget, “Projective space W P S […] begins psychologically at the point when the object or pattern R H is no longer viewed in isolation, but begins to be considered in relation to a “point of view”. This is either the viewpoint of the subject, Study user group: The Children in which case a perspective relationship is involved, or else that of other objects on which the first is projected. Thus, from the outset, projective relationships presume the inter-co-ordination of objects separated in space, as opposed to the internal analysis of isolated objects by means of topological relationships”4 . As Piaget’s definition is developed according to the psychological aspect, Colin Ward in his book “The child in the City” tries to convey Piaget’s child’s cognitive developmental theory in a spatial definition. Therefore, Study age group: 7 - 12 years old the author quotes Jeff Bishop’s interpretation of the Piaget’s “concrete operational stage” into environmental terms; “the child now understands and is able to operate successfully amongst a series of known relationships and sequences of objects and situations. He therefore can reverse his route to school while standing in school and can successfully negotiate alternatives, combinations and extensions of his route provided that they involve reshuffling of known sequences, rather than the deduction of new ones or large gaps between existing ones. At this stage the child can successfully represent correctly the sequence of events in a given familiar route, e.g. home to school, with a good level of scale and directional accuracy” 5. ork

ark

chool

ecreation

ome

Play

ground

Entertainment

Local shops

“ If cities are not meant for children they are not meant for citizens either. If they are not meant for citizens -ourselvesthey are not cities.” - Aldo Van Eyck

Concrete Operational stage

Preoperational stage

Jean Piaget

Cognitive Stages of Develpoment

Formal Operational stage

Sensorimotor stage

0 - 2 yrs

2 - 7 yrs

7 - 12 yrs

12 - adulthood

In summary, the specific user group for this research is the age when the child becomes more independent and can move in the city without the direct guidance of the parent. However, this thesis aims to make a proposal that will enhance the city’s sidewalk space for children of all ages and eventually for every citizen. 6

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

After defining the age group of the users, we need to identify the challenges that this specific user encounters while using the sidewalk space and also to understand his special characteristics while moving in the city. More specifically, in order to propose improvements and suggestions for a more child-friendly public space, we need to observe how the child moves, uses and experiences the space of the sidewalk. b. Explore the opportunities of the streetscape. Although the children are considered to be the age group that has been mostly overlooked during the city planning process, there have been many successful design projects worldwide that have enhanced the urban context according to the child’s perspective. Therefore, while conducting this research, many examples of places that have been designed for children are being studied in order to define the guidelines or the designs that managed to produce urban public spaces that correspond to their needs. c. Create a manual of guidelines for designing a street as a safe and stimulating environment for a child. Generally, all over the world the street design projects are being developed based on standard guidelines. These guidelines are developed on the one hand according to the anthropometric dimensions of an average adult and on the other hand they are informed by the adults’ everyday life needs, for example sidewalks are equipped with mailboxes, newspaper boxes and so on. Additionally, the special needs and dimensions of disabled people are certainly being considered in such projects since there are mandatory guidelines, which provide specifically designed amenities to facilitate their movement in public spaces. For example, ramps are designed at the intersections in order to let people on wheelchairs get on the curb or special tactile tiles are built-in the sidewalk pavement in such a way to guide the blind people to an obstacle-free pathway on the sidewalk. Therefore, the majority of the adult’s needs as a sidewalk user are being accommodated either he is young or old, with disabilities or not. At this point, it is important to mention that the design of the streets and the quality of the sidewalk space is highly affected by the vehicular traffic of each district and the needs for on-street parking but this factor is not being studied for this research. 7

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

Children are also sidewalk users who are supposed to use the same space as the adults, however, they certainly do experience it differently. They form a unique group of users since they have significantly different anthropometric dimensions and definitely different behavior while using this space. Due to the scale difference from the adults and their alternative conception of space, they do have different needs that ought to at least be considered in the design of a sidewalk and any public space in general. Therefore, the main goal of this thesis is to create guidelines and tools that will: • • •

Ensure Safety for pedestrians. Reveal the Natural Environment on the city sidewalk. Utilize the sidewalk as a broadened Learning Environment.

The final outcome of this thesis is a Sidewalk Design Manual for childfriendly streets. This manual aims to point out a few issues that occur everyday on the streets - degrading their livability - while at the same time will suggest a set of simple solutions, which implement a design concept that will contribute into creating an urban environment more friendly to the child and more pleasant to the adults as well. d. Apply design proposals on an existing site. The last part of this thesis is a site-specific design project in order to test the validity and feasibility of the proposed guidelines and tools of the manual. More specifically, the guidelines are being applied to a specific district, which is selected according to the manual’s Site Selection Checklist. After choosing the site, a street network that links various children-oriented urban spaces such as schools, playgrounds, parks or educational institutions, is identified so that the design interventions will be proposed in locations where there are needed the most.

10’

Dolores St

23rd St

9’

Cumberland St

7’

|| Potential Children Friendly Routes in the CIty

9’

7’

3’

7’

estimated route time acceptable intersection dangerous intersection

open space proposed route community market

school

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

Folsom St

Shotwell St

Valencia St

Chattanooga St

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

1.4 Implication of the project This thesis proposes ways in which the streets can become the social hub of the neighborhood, where children play and grow up and the adults can socialize and enjoy their communal outdoor spaces in a neighborhood. Public spaces that are designed site specifically providing the opportunity to their user to personalize them and use them in his own way, tend to be the more successful ones. Design has the power to convert a physical space into a place where people gain a memorable experience. Children have the ability to feel the space in a more direct way than adults do and more importantly they feel free to use it spontaneously and occupy it in their own way. Through their interaction with the space, they create an instant spatial situation, which attracts the majority of the passerby people that even unconsciously for just a few seconds, they do become part of it. They are enjoying it.

“If cities are not meant for children they are not meant for citizens either. If they are not meant for citizens- ourselvesthey are not cities.” 6 –Aldo Van Eyck

In conclusion, if a public space creates an inviting environment for a child it is very likely that it will be an exceptionally more livable environment for everyone.

“Passerby people are users of Paley, too. About half will turn and look in. Of these, about half will smile. I haven’t calculated a smile index, but this vicarious, secondary enjoyment is extremely important – the sight of the park, the knowledge that it is there, becomes part of the image we have of a much wider area.” 7 - William H. Whyte

7. Paley Park, New York, 2013

more London place, London

adult stops and watches

child (age 10-12) interacts with the fountain

|| Public Space Observation: User analysis

child (age 5 - 6) climbs on the bench

parents watch

child (age 3 -4 ) explores

parents watch

adults stop and watch

child (age 10-12) interacts with the fountain

chapter 1 : Re- thinking the public realm

Endnotes

Illustration Credit List

Chapter 1.

1. Appleyard, Donald. Livable Streets. Protected Neighborhoods (Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 1981), 243.

Fig.1 Ward, Colin. The Child in the City. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978: p.91

2. Moore, Robin C. Childhood’s Domain (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1987). 3. Wadsworth, Barry. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development: Foundations of Constructivism (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996). 4. Piaget, Jean and Barbel Inhelder. The Child’s Conception of Space, trans. F.J.Langdon and J.L.Lunzer (New York: Routledge, 1997), 153154. 5. Ward, Colin. The Child in the City. (New York: Pantheon Books, 1978), 24.

Fig. 2 Carve. “Potgieterstraat, stadsdeel West, Amsterdam”, 2010 < http://www.carve.nl, project> Fig. 3 Jacobs, Allan B. Great Streets. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1993. Fig. 4 Kim, Annette. “Net Map,2010” MIT SLAB, sidewalk laboratory. slab.scripts.mit.edu <http://slab.scripts.mit.edu/wp/maps/public-space-maps/> Fig. 5 William, H. Whyte. City. Rediscovering the Center. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988: p.57 Fig.6

author’s archive

6. Van Eyck, Aldo. Writings, Aldo Van Eyck. Edited by Vincent Ligtelijn, and Francis Strauven. Vol. 1, The Child, the City and the Artist. (Amsterdam: SUN Publishers, 2008), 9.

Fig.7

author’s archive

Fig.8

author’s archive

7. Whyte, William H. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (Washghton, D.C.: The Conservation Foundation, 1980), 57.

|| The graphics, which are not listed above, have been created by the author for the purpose of this thesis.

Transforming Streets

chapter 2 : Transforming Streets Outdoor places designed for children and public spaces in general from all around the world have been selected as precedents for this thesis. This chapter summarizes the case studies that have been studied in depth in order to define the concept, the guidelines or the designs that managed to produce urban public spaces that correspond to the child’s needs.

2.1 Aldo Van Eyck – The Playgrounds Project. The Van Eyck’s playgrounds in the city of Amsterdam have been an inspiring precedent for this thesis. The simplicity and at the same time the ingenuity of his designs make his playgrounds an excellent example for public spaces that have brightened the dull urban scene. By designing a stimulating environment for children -a place to give space for imagination- his greater accomplishment was that he achieved continuity in the urban fabric. Aldo Van Eyck was the first to introduce the point of view of a group of users that had been previously overlooked, the children. He did it in order to keep childhood from being “edged towards the periphery of attention” 8 . His playground projects invite a new way of making and using the city, where playscapes are interwoven with the urban fabric.

9. Zaanhof playground designed by Aldo Van Eyck, Amsterdam,1948.

10.

11. Balancing beams in the Transvaalplein designed by Aldo Van Eyck,, Transvaalbuurt, Amsterdam-Oost, 1950,1952.

chapter 2 : Transforming Streets || A Pattern implanted in the city

a. City map showing the spread of the playgrounds from the city center to the suburbs, a. Amsterdam 1954, b. Amsterdam 1961

“These new urban components for the child had to be shaped not as isolated thing or isolated set of things but as a regular pattern implanted in the city”. The city must be able to absorb it both aesthetically and physically; it must become part of the city’s everyday fabric.” 9 - Aldo Van Eyck, “After a heavy snowstorm”

b. 12.

chapter 2 : Transforming Streets Van Eyck’s redesign of the open areas of Amsterdam10: • • •

Slows down traffic Extends and foregrounds protected encounter areas Shifts the focus of attention from remote vistas to the locality of the site.

Van Eyck’s design approach: • • • •

Site specific Incremental Interstitial Ludic

• Participatory • Ground up • Polycentered

13. a. Van Boetzelaerstraat, Amsterdam-Oudwestbefore

b. Van Boetzelaerstraat, Amsterdam-Oudwest - after

14. a. Zeedijk, Amsterdam-Centrum,1956,1957 - before

b. Zeedijk, Amsterdam-Centrum,1956,1957 - after

chapter 2 : Transforming Streets

2.2 Herman Hertzberger - The polyvalent space + the multifunctional form A few of Herman Hertzberger’s projects have been studied as precedents for this thesis mainly for the details that the architect adds when designing rather ordinary building elements such as staircases, railings, entrances and so on. He invents space where otherwise it would not have existed.

“It is equally clear that neither neutrality, which is the inevitable result of flexibility (tolerable for all, just right for no-one), nor specificity which is the consequence of too much expression (just right – but for whom?), can yield an adequate solution. It is not somewhere between these two extremes of the lack of commitment and too much selfassurance that the possibility of a solution lies, but quite aside from them: namely in a standpoint that everyone can relate to in his or her own way, a standpoint therefore that can take on a different – and hence divergent – meaning for each individual. In order to be able to have different meanings each form must be interpretable in the sense that it must be capable of taking on different roles. And it can only take on those different roles if the different meanings are contained in the essence of the form, so that they are an implicit provocation rather than explicit suggestion.” 11 - Herman Hertzberger

15.

17.

16.

18.

chapter 2 : Transforming Streets

Moreover, Hertzberger reveals in his design the multiple functions that one object can have depending on where and how the designer decides to place it. In all of his projects he achieves to inspire the user to occupy his space or with his own words “color his space”12 .

Perforated building blocks:

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

chapter 2 : Transforming Streets

2.3 Child- Friendly Interventions in Public Spaces. Projects in multiple cities around the world where simple but rather creative details were successfully employed to increase the playability of a space.

24.

25. An installation that plays with the scale of the city, Copenhagen

New Pavilion in St. Johanns Park | Basel, Switzerland

2.4 Parklets, San Francisco “A parklet is a small space serving as an extension of the sidewalk to provide amenities and green space for people using the street. It is typically the size of several parking spaces. Parklets typically extend out from the sidewalk at the level of the sidewalk to the width of the adjacent parking space, though some have been built at the level of the street with access from the sidewalk.”13 The “parklet” is a successful example of reclaiming space for the users of the sidewalk. The main take away of this project is the direct involvement of the local community. More specifically, the local community can request the construction of such a project and therefore, the community itself takes on the responsibility of maintaining it.

27.

26.

28.

Parklets hosted by local businesses, San Francisco

chapter 2 : Transforming Streets

Endnotes Chapter 2. 8. Van Eyck, Aldo. “When Snow Falls On Cities” (1956). Writings, Aldo Van Eyck. Edited by Vincent Ligtelijn, and Francis Strauven. Vol. 2, Collected Articles and Other Writings 1947-1998. Amsterdam: SUN Publishers, 2008. 9. Van Eyck, Aldo. “After a Heavy Snowstorm” (1961). Writings, Aldo Van Eyck. Edited by Vincent Ligtelijn, and Francis Strauven. Vol. 2, Collected Articles and Other Writings 1947-1998. (Amsterdam: SUN Publishers, 2008), 110. 10. Lefaivre, Liane, and Tzonis, Alexander. Aldo Van Eyck, Humanistic Rebel, Inbetweening in a Postwar World (Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1999). 11. Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture (Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1998), 149. 12. Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture (Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1998), 149. 13. San Francisco Planning Department, “Parklet Manual”, pavementtoparks.org <http://sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org/ docs/SF_P2P_Parklet_Manual_1.0_FULL.pdf>

Fig.19,20 Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture.1998: p.155 Fig.21-23 Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture.1998: p.168 Fig. 24 Stiftung, Christoph Merian and Schulthess, Kathrin. “New Pavilion in St. Johanns Park | Basel, Switzerland,2007-2012.burckhardtpartner.ch <http://www.burckhardtpartner.ch/en/references/ items/new-pavilion-at-st-johanns-park.html> Fig. 25 Gehl, Jan, Lars Gemzøe, Sia Kirknæs, and Britt S. Søndergaard. New City Life. Copenhagen: Danish Architectural Press, 2006. Fig. 26 Matarrozzi Pelsinger Builders & Wells Cambell photography, “Parklet Manual”, pavementtoparks.org <http://sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org/docs/SF_P2P_Parklet_Manual_1.0_FULL. pdf> Fig.27 Kay Cheng, “Parklet Manual”, pavementtoparks.org <http://sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org/docs/SF_P2P_Parklet_ Manual_1.0_FULL.pdf> Fig.28 Craig Hollow, “Parklet Manual”, pavementtoparks.org <http://sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org/docs/SF_P2P_Parklet_ Manual_1.0_FULL.pdf> || The graphics, which are not listed above, have been created by the author for the purpose of this thesis.

Illustration Credit List Chapter 2. Fig. 9 Brusse, Wim. Aldo Van Eyck / Writings. The Child, the City and the Artist. 2008: p.16 Fig. 10 Cornelius, Violette. Aldo Van Eyck / Writings. The Child, the City and the Artist. 2008: p. (i) Fig. 11 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. “Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City”. 2002: p. 91 Fig.12 TU Delft, (DKS Group).“Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City”. 2002: p. 42,43 Fig.13 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. “Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City”. 2002: p. 17,18 Fig.14 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. “Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City”. 2002: p. 32,33 Fig.15 Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture.1998: p.155 Fig.16-18 Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture.1998: p.188

3 A Child’s Perspective

CMYK | skurktur,2009. 21

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

3.1 Urban environments can be designed to attract children’s attention and to promote creative play and social interchange. This chapter aims to examine the everyday spaces of children’s lives in the city in order to comprehend the children’s special needs and activities as users of the city. The research hypothesis tests the fact that the urban environment provides multiple incentives to attract the children’s attention and promote them for creative playing and socializing. The main questions to be addressed in this study are: ”How can an outdoor space nurture a child’s curiosity?” ”How do children perceive an urban space?” and “How does the contemporary urban space respond to the childhood spatial needs?” The word play is defined as the engagement in activity for enjoyment and recreation14 .If someone would try to break down the original word definition into simple actions, he would probably end up using the verbs “moving” and “imagining” to be able to illustrate the play activity. “Moving”, is a very important part of typical child development since it stimulates the kinesthetic senses15 . Observations on the impact of Robin C. Moore’s “Environmental Yard” 16, where an effort was made to retrieve the lost culture of the traditional outdoor games of childhood, reveal that the movement while playing, has contributed significantly in the children’s personality development. More specifically, as the author mentions, “Physical diversity stimulated a broader variety of activity. Traditional games that were the base of the children’s culture in the Yard became increasingly varied and interwoven with new activities that flourished in response to the expanding choices in the landscape. As the range of physical challenges broadened, more children were able to participate and feel better about themselves regardless of their ability. Movement helped children acquire physical competence and self- confidence through interaction with their surroundings”17. Unfortunately, nowadays children spend their leisure time at home since their parents either cannot afford after school activities or do not have the time to take their children to places such as playgrounds or sports fields. “Imagining” is essential for shaping a healthy and balanced personality. An important source of our imagination for our everyday life as adults is developed through playing during our childhood. In order to justify this observation, Robin C. Moore mentions the research of Edith Cobb in her book “The Ecology of Imagination in Childhood”, where she concludes that “a key to the creative achievements of visionary thinkers was their childhood play experiences” 18.

ci so al

THE WHOLE CHILD

manual dexterity

v iti

creative

phycho - motor

e tiv

ct fe af

ep rc pe

Ultimately, play is widely regarded as being supremely important for children. Furthermore, the significance of the play activity during childhood has been well justified by Herman Hertzberger in his book “Lessons for Students in Architecture”, where he mentions that children through play “gain sense of place and space, learn how to measure, develop their adaptability, develop spatial perception and interaction and are encouraged to venture gradually further from home” and thus gain the experience of social interaction.

imaginative

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

Nowadays, as it has already been mentioned earlier, due to the contempo- Developmental skills diagram , rary family daily life in the city, the outdoor activity has been significantly Moore, Robin C. reduced19. Furthermore, usually the options for playing outdoors, are limited within the boundaries of designated places such as playgrounds, schoolyards, home backyards, and sport fields. Therefore, their games end up being formal and guided by the installed play equipment, hence eliminating the opportunities for creative, self-directed, spontaneous and interactive play.

29.

Nonetheless, the informal play activity elsewhere rather than in places designated for them is a critical part of a child’s education, since it provides them the opportunity to discover the challenges of the world outside their homes.

3.2 Outdoor spaces nurture a child’s curiosity in many ways. Through the children’s eyes, outdoor spaces can be seen as settings for mystery and exploration. Elements, events or occasions anywhere outside the “home-school” comfort zone can bring on a surprise, a risk or a challenge and eventually spark the child’s curiosity. Furthermore, playing and in general being able to stay and experience the outdoor environment contributes significantly in their balanced development, while it helps in tuning the child’s senses20 .

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective || The street as a device for tuning the child’s senses

see

ell

to u c h

see

signs - traffic - trees - city life

smell

flowers - trees - traffic fumes - food (from a shop on the street)

touch

surface materials - street elements - trees texture (trunk - leaves)

hear

traffic - birds - people’s conversations - siren

taste

*shops - street cars - community gardens

* feel

wind - sunlight - heat - speed - surprise *happenning adjacent to the street

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Researches and surveys that incorporate firstly, children’s views, secondly observations of children’s behavior in outdoor environments (Southworth, 197021, Moore, 198622 ), and lastly retrieved adult memories of childhood (Lukashok/ Lynch, 195623) reveal specific environmental elements that nurture their curiosity and promote interactive play activity. According to the aforementioned authors, the spatial or environmental elements that were more frequently mentioned by the subjects of the surveys were the following24 :

• Water The water element seems to be highly valued as an incentive for play and exploration. It appears in many different forms depending on the type of the child’s daily context. Obviously, in the countryside, children have easier access to water features such as lakes, rivers and their creeks or even the ocean. At the same time, someone might assume that in an urban environment the presence of the water is rare. Interestingly enough, the water element is present in the city in all sorts of forms. In a natural way, as stormwater collected in a daylighted creek or in a temporary pond on a sidewalk pothole or in a constructed way in plazas, parks and playgrounds as waterfalls, tranquil pools, fountains of all kinds. || Play with a water fountain in public space

30. More London Place, London, 2009

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

An interesting observation on children’s reaction to places with water is how much there are fascinated by exploring the life of the temporary or structured water “habitat”. Small creatures, insects and plants nurture their curiosity about how nature works. Consequently, the presence of water in outdoor spaces provides an extraordinary stimulus for playing and learning. Also, the reflections and shadows on the surface of a pond or a fountain generate a whole new setting to invent new play games and imaginative stories.

31.

33.

32.

34.

• Trees Trees offer the ideal environment for play because they create comfortable shaded places during a sunny day and their trunks provide a surface that can be carved offering the child the opportunity to mark his own territory. Both their height and the shape of their brunches can add a vertical dimension to the play activity. The child can climb on the tree and enjoy an alternative view of the place. The shape and width of their trunk and foliage offer a sheltered area which can be perceived as a nook or a hiding place. Moreover, the different types of trees with their alterations according to the time of the year and their own habitat type contribute significantly to the children’s environmental education.

• Topography Physical differentiation and variety inspire the children’s play as it promotes movement in any imaginative way25 . While in natural landscapes, hills and grassy slopes stimulate many types of behaviors, in the cityscape, changes 26

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

of level, entrance steps, railings and bollards enrich the play opportunities on site. Children can roll down a slope, hide behind a small grassy knot, jump on the entrance steps or swirl around a bollard and so on.

• “Floorscape” The child’s physical size (height) plays a crucial role on the way they experience their environment. As the “little” users of the outdoor space, they eventually are closer to the walking surface, the ground. Therefore, different paving: bricks or tiles, different elements: mud, grass or water, different objects: manholes or tree leaves and every unexpected irregularity: a pothole or a drawing on the sidewalk creates another micro-environment for them to explore; the “floorscape”.

• Animals Animals provide a strong attraction to children, mainly because of their interaction with them. They are biologically closer to humans than plants or the static human made environments so they definitely nurture their curiosity26. Since the city context is often perceived as a densely built environment that lacks of natural habitats, it is important to highlight the presence of the specific animal life that inhabits the urbanscape. One of the most common scenes in a plaza or a park on a Saturday morning is children chasing pigeons that are gathered together around bread crumbs on the ground.

35. London, 2009

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

• Transportation Observing and especially using the public transportation can be a fascinating activity for children. In all three of the aforementioned surveys that have been reviewed for this paper the rail tracks are considered as the most adventurous part of the city and eventually a highly attractive place to be around. Besides the challenge of playing around a rather dangerous place, using the public transportation is also a very popular activity for the young people. They enjoy learning how to use the maps, how to orient themselves and choose the right route. Eventually, they become more responsible and able to experience their city beyond the boundaries of their neighborhood.

• Form and Ornateness A symbolic ornamented form seems to make a place more interesting for children and specifically, “the more complex and ornate the form, the more it was liked”27 . Presumably, its irregularity and uniqueness makes it a subject to explore and get familiar with.

• Panoramic views The activity of “going to the top to look out” is particularly attractive for children. Therefore, hills and towers that provide the opportunity of a panoramic view of the area are mentioned frequently as favorite places to go in the city.

• Street Art and Artifacts Street art and random objects that could be found while walking on a sidewalk stimulate the children’s curiosity and their desire for investigation and exploration.

36. SoMa, San Francisco, 2013

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• Crowdedness The crowdedness, in other words, the presence of other people either adults or children is a fundamental condition in order a child to feel comfortable and begin to engage himself in outdoors activities. Child’s comment,1970 28 : “Most of the time I’m bored when nobody’s on the streets – I just have to stay in the house then instead of walkin around —it’s boring when people don’t go out”

Also, children are particularly attracted by the adults’ daily lives. They enjoy observing them especially during working hours and they appreciate it even more when they are assigned with a task. For example, when they can throw an envelope in the mailbox, when they can plant a flower in the garden or help in fixing a broken object, they feel that they are being part of the real life as they are contributing to formal adult activities. Therefore, as Dolf Schnebli mentions in his article “environments for children”29 , the direct involvement with adults on a daily basis is beneficial for the children in a way that they will be better prepared for their complex future tasks.

• Color Color seems to contribute significantly in the children’s emotional development. In a survey that includes children’s comments, they tend to describe the atmosphere of the place or their personal feelings by identifying colored elements. “The “nice” blue of the river”, colored flowers are nice “when I am sad”, “bright lights on the street at night are exciting”30 . Additionally, the night scene of a street creates a fascinating environment composed of bright streetlights, colorful shop signs and illuminated buildings.

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

3.3 The way children perceive the urbanscape. - Comparison with the adults Children perceive the world differently than the adults do, firstly because of their scale31, secondly because of the simplicity of their everyday life and lastly because of their unconventional way of thinking.

1,80 m

1,35 m

In order to successfully illustrate this major difference of the spatial perception between two different types of users of the same space, Sharon Stine employs two simple examples; the users’ reaction to a mud puddle and to a green hillside. A mud puddle is a place that an adult tries to avoid whereas the child sees an opportunity for exploration. A green hillside is an enjoyable vista for the adult but a place to experience a roll down for a child32. Furthermore, a major difference that distinguishes the child’s perspective of the urban context from the adult’s perspective is the way they move in the city, both the perception of the routes they choose to follow and the actual way they choose to move on them.

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective || Video frames - short documentation film • how children move on the sidewalk • what they see on the sidewalk • how they experience the space of the sidewalk

Moving Pattern

Eye Level

Spatial Perception

37.

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

The adults’ main concerns while moving in the city are about defining their final destination and calculate the time needed to reach their particular destination. Whereas the children, when travelling in the city - usually following their parents - get easily distracted by “irregular” elements on the street, get excited and dazzled by natural features or phenomena occurring on the street and their curiosity is even sparked by street life routine, which seems ordinary and casual to adults.

• The adult’s perception of a city trip, google maps

38.

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective • The child’s perception of a city trip, KAYLA’S TRIP HOME FROM SCHOOL At the time these observations were made by Tod Hara, a landscape architecture student at the University of California, Berkeley. Kayla was a seven-year-old attending John Muir School. With her consent, the trip was made on November 2, 1972(Election Day). It covered approximately 0.6 miles and took forty-five minutes (the observer alone took twenty minutes) 1. Kayla and her friend Simon crossed Claremont avenue, helped by the traffic monitor. 2. Picked up garbage and said, “people throw a lot of garbage on the street”. 3. Stopped by a water puddle and found a half-drowned butterfly. 4. Splashed along the water lying against the curb (from the rain that had fallen earlier). 5. Picked some leaves off a tree. 6. Stopped at Dennis’s house and dropped the garbage there (from 2 above). 7. Saw a flag of the United States on the street and asked a passerby why it was there. 8. Crossed Piedmont Avenue without looking around. 9. Noticed that the stream of water on the street was getting smaller. Climbed on a truck parked on the street. 10. Both children picked a leaf out of the stream, wrote their names on it with mud, washed their hands in the stream, and walked through the mud. 11. Found Simon’s parents’ car parked in the gas station, on which Kayla had written “let me be washed” on her way to school that morning. Kayla took a drink of water at the fountain. 12. Crossed College Avenue (a major four-lane arterial) very carefully and continued down Webster Street. 13. Took a “short cut” that involved going into the entrance courtyard of an apartment building on the corner; going under a stairway; and crawling through a hedge of bamboo to re-emerge on Webster Street (hardly a short-cut!). 14. Stopped by a car with a McGovern bumper sticker on it; talked about the mock election they had had in the classroom, then drew signs on the wet car. 15. Walked between two houses and went into the small play area of a private day-care house. Played on the swings and seesaw. 16. Kayla arrived home.

40.

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Moreover, adults and children have very different ways for moving in the city. When an adult is asked to describe the way he moves in the city, he will probably come up with a very short list of action verbs. His answers will be possibly limited to the following: walking, driving, cycling. On the other hand, if a child is asked the same question, interestingly enough, the list is a much longer one. The way a child moves in the city varies and many times is informed by the street setting. He might walk, hop, skip, jump, climb, crawl, leap, frog, balance, skate, slide, run, chase, hide, pounce, lean, twirl and so on33. || Child’s moving pattern on the sidewalk

t flower bed

elevated stree

side

wal k

str ee

41.

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3.4 How does the contemporary urban space respond to the childhood spatial needs? Today streets are seen as barriers for children, rather than as a playspace. Children are usually not allowed to play on the streets or wander around their neighborhood alone due to various risks and challenges that exist in the city context. In addition to safety issues, streets do not provide an inviting environment to play and socialize, since they are mainly designed to accommodate the traffic circulation.

“The modern city ignores the seasons, variations of temperature, sunshine and humidity […] Nature is cast out of the life of the child and no longer forms any part of his normal daily world.” - The city against the child, Menie Gregoire

Generally, the city’s outdoor public spaces and more specifically the sidewalks are not designed but instead they are formed as the leftovers of the built structures. Therefore, although they might contain a large load of information, in most cases they are just plain spaces that lack incentives for activities and interaction.

a. street elements that spark the child’s curiosity The city’s background scenery which here is considered to be the human made builtscape and the city’s life, forms a very complicated and indeed fascinating context to live in. As Kevin Lynch writes, “an urban region is an immense storehouse of information”34 . Dozens of signs on streets and on the buildings, a great variety of objects and devices either located on the sidewalks or hanging on poles overhead the pedestrians and lastly, the vehicles and the people who are generating the movement on the street networks are only a few components of a rather fascinating environment, the city. Based on the idea of the city being an educational environment, the “Human Cities Festival 2012” organized a workshop for children in Brussels. A project to identify the elements that could spark the children’s curiosity on the city streets. “The City from the Child’s Eye View”, is a workshop that was supported by the King Baudouin Foundation and its goal was to empower children through photography, film and observational drawing to document their city through their eyes. One of the programs of this workshop was to equip twenty-seven children with digital cameras and walk around the “les marolles” neighborhood for one day. The children’s mission was to capture whatever attracted their attention.

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

42. Children Findings, “Human Cities Festival 2012”

A review of the outcomes of this workshop verifies both the findings from the surveys mention earlier (Southworth, 197035, Moore, 198636 , Lukashok/ Lynch, 195637 ) and Robin C. Moore’s observation that “Children measure the environmental quality of streets by the presence or the absence of these mundane objects, not by the ease of traffic flow and parking”38 , as adults are likely to do. In conclusion, through the child’s eyes the context of the street is not simply composed by the sidewalk, street trees and traffic lanes but it is a rather more intricate scenery. Catalog of street elements that have been identified as interesting objects to children 38: • • • • • • • • • •

lampposts curbstones gutters inspection chamber – covers overhead wires parked cars trees piles of leaves steps gates

• • • • • • • • • •

bollards hedges retaining walls building entrances bus stops mailboxes streets signs benches railings stormwater pond

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

b. Playgrounds or play equipment? Colin Ward in his book “The Child in the City” highlights the importance of observing the way the children use their space while designing places we anticipate that will be attractive to them. The author quotes Hermann Mattern who claims that the high number of playgrounds implies the failure of an urban environment40. The playground is defined as an outdoor area provided for children to play on. A common urban playground is an area with specific boundaries. It is usually fenced, the majority of its flooring is hard paved and its main component is an intricate compact structure located centrally in the space, the play equipment. Another applicable definition for a playground could be the following: a place where the children are brought to play or more specifically a place where the children are brought to play in a directed and supervised way. The play equipment tends to dictate a specific play activity. Most of the times, this activity is composed of the same components such as a slope, a ladder, climbing beams, seesaw and swings. Obviously those elements/ components suggest activities that all children enjoy and this is the reason why they exist in every playground, in every country since the playground idea was conceived. However, this paper argues whether the compactness of this well-recognized equipment and its spatial isolation for the city life, allows for creative and explorative playing activity. Herman Hertzberger in his book “Space and Learning” ends up naming the play equipment “sad products” while criticizing the quality of a contemporary playground. In his words: “These sad products with their invariably overcomplicated and garish appearance roll in an endless stream from the mountain of catalogues launched by a trade evidently not that concerned about what might stimulate children’s development”41. The fact that the play pattern in such places is already known and largely predictable, raises the question whether playgrounds are places that provide children the opportunity to develop themselves outside the sterile home - school environment or are they “isolated enclaves designed to keep children out of the way”42 . The unique concept of Aldo Van Eyck’s playgrounds relies on the fact that he designs a different composition of his elements for each playground. “The quality and success of the scores of many simple, abstract play37

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

grounds designed by Aldo Van Eyck with elements that included street furniture, lay in their primary form, open to imaginations of children and oriented to their motor development”43. || Play Equipment - comparison between a common playground and an Aldo Van Eyck playground

common playground equipment

43. Playground ,Aldo Van Eyck, Dulongstaat, Watergraafsmeer, Amsterdam-Oost, 1954.

Safety is the main and very rational reason why fences are built and playgrounds many times become enclosed areas. However, the famous Jane Jacob’s quote “eyes on the street”44 could substitute the fence, the transparency of the street life can substitute the opacity and isolation of the fence. When a playground is integrated with other uses of the city, the number of the passerby people will eventually increase. Therefore, by creating an environment, which is attractive to everyone, it is likely to achieve a “self- policing place” 45.

Playground ,Aldo Van Eyck, Jacob Thijsseplein, Amsterdam Noord, 1949,1950.

pedestrian routes play pattern

44. parque ninos unidos, Mission District, San Francisco

parque ninos unidos, Mission District, San Francisco

pedestrian routes play pattern

45.

|| Play Pattern + Pedestrian routes - comparison between a common playground and an Aldo Van Eyck playground

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

c. The immediacy of the street Informal street play does rarely occur today. The streets have lost their function as a playspace. There is an assumption by many parents, cities’ officials and planners that a large number of parks, playgrounds and large back yards will satisfy children’s recreation needs, and there will be no requirement for children to use streets as play areas. Lately, many projects are being funded in the name of providing spaces for the children in the city but most of the times these projects are just installations of another typical manufactured play structure in the middle of a few hundreds of square feet area. On the other hand, the street had always attracted the children’s curiosity simply because it is where city life takes place, where everything happens. The street’s role as the scenery of the everyday life and the physical relationship to its immediate surroundings are influential in accommodating the children’s play46 . A street’s proximity to home makes it a place available anytime, instead of the trip to a playground, which requires to be scheduled in advance. Furthermore, as Herman Hertzberger writes, “Space to play, undesignated or marginal space, should be present as an evident quality of every residential setting and of the public domain as a whole, as evident as children themselves. It is quite impossible to imagine children developing their play skills exclusively at specially allocated places with equipment specially devised for the purpose, that is, set apart from everything in our normal daily living environment”47. To summarize, a street is a space, capable of shaping a non-formal curriculum of playful creative activity, free play and informal learning, enhancing the children’s development.

street

playground

park

school

institutions

home

|| Developmental Potential of Places Diagram environmental learning academic learning social interaction self reliance creative activity physical development

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

d. The playground as a city system and not as an isolated destination. Considering the aforementioned child – environment interactions, the crucial requirements for “developing the whole child”48 and the child’s preferable elements, qualities and events in outdoor spaces, someone can eventually conclude that it is important to try and interweave the playscapes with the urban fabric. Successful examples that fulfill this guideline are Aldo Van Eyck’s playgrounds in Amsterdam49 , which were built approximately during the period of 1947 – 1961.

children realm children network

pedestrian realm pedestrian network

postal service postman

public transportation public transportation

bike routes

street network street network

city utilities

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

3.5 Conclusion According to Robin C. Moore, transforming the streets into a stimulating place for play and social interaction can advance both the children’s access to diversity and their right to play50 . Ultimately, allowing and promoting children to play in the local streets will benefit not only the children, but also the community at large. Reclaiming the streets as a playspace, is likely to create a more sociable neighborhood, a neighborhood with a strong sense of community involvement, and reduced local traffic congestion.

“In cities where the child has been overlooked more completely than elsewhere, it will discover places where it can play as it chooses, paths along which it can run, things on which to climb and exercise the body, material with which to construct, schools and other facilities imaginatively designed, waiting to be imaginatively used.” 52 - Aldo Van Eyck, The Child, the City and the Artist

46. Map of the Jordaan district of Amsterdam with planned interstitial playgrounds making up a polycentric net51.

chapter 3: A child’s Perspective

Endnotes

Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” (PhD diss., Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970), 170.

Chapter 3. 14. Oxford University Press, “Oxford Dictionaries” oxforddictionaries. com <http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_ english/play?q=play> 15. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard. (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 89. 16. “Environmental Yard”, Washington Elementary School, in Berkeley, California. 17. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 91. 18. Cobb, Edith. The Ecology of Imagination in Childhood. New York: Columbia University Press, 1977. [as cited in Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 101]. 19. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard. (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 89,99.

29. Dolf, Schnebli. “”Environments for Children.” Mass Magazine (1988): 12 – 17. 30. Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” (PhD diss., Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970), 165. 31. Ward, Colin. The Child in the City. (New York: Pantheon Books, 1978), 22. 32. Stine, Sharon. Landscapes for Learning Wiley&sons, Inc., 1997), 3.

(New York: John

33. Moore, Robin C. “Streets as Playgrounds.” In Public Streets for Public Use, edited by Anne Vernez Moudon, (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1987), 45. 34. Lynch, Kevin, and Carr, Stephen. “Where Learning Happens.” Daedalus (1968). 35. Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” (PhD diss., Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970).

20. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard. (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 123.

36. Moore, Robin C. Childhood’s Domain (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1987).

21. Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” (PhD diss., Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970).

37. Lynch, Kevin, and Lukashok, Alvin K. “Some Childhood Memories of the City.” Journal of the American Institute of Planners (1956): 142 -152.

22. Moore, Robin C. Childhood’s Domain (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1987).

38. Moore, Robin C. “Streets as Playgrounds.” In Public Streets for Public Use, edited by Anne Vernez Moudon, (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1987), 45.

23. Lynch, Kevin, and Lukashok, Alvin K. “Some Childhood Memories of the City.” Journal of the American Institute of Planners (1956): 142 -152. 24. Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” (PhD diss., Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970),158 -169. 25. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 88-99. 26. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 50 -63.

39. Moore, Robin C. “Streets as Playgrounds.” In Public Streets for Public Use, edited by Anne Vernez Moudon, (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1987), 45. 40. Ward, Colin. The Child in the City. (New York: Pantheon Books, 1978), 87. 41. Hertzberger, Herman. Space and Learning. Lessons in Architecture 3 (Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2008), 214. 42. Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” (PhD diss., Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970),15. 43. Hertzberger, Herman. Space and Learning. Lessons in Architecture 3 (Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2008), 219.

27. Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” (PhD diss., Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970), 167.

44. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. (New York: Vintage Books. A Division of Random House, Inc., 1992).

28. Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on

45. Whyte, H.William. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. (Wash-

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ghton, D.C.: The Conservation Foundation, 1980),63.a 46. Moore, Robin C. “Streets as Playgrounds.” In Public Streets for Public Use, edited by Anne Vernez Moudon, (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1987), 45. 47. Hertzberger, Herman. Space and Learning. Lessons in Architecture 3 (Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2008), 227. 48. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard (Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997), 88-109.

Fig.42 Human Cities Festival Workshop. “Look to Your City From the Child’s Eye View, Brussels, 2012”.humancities.eu <http://childeyeview.tumblr.com> Fig. 43 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. “Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City”. 2002: p. 73 Fig.44 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam. “Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City”. 2002: p. 72 Fig.45

street view, google.com <https://maps.google.com>

49. Fuchs, Rudi et al. Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City. Edited by Liane Lefaivre, and Ingeborg De Roode (Rotterdam: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Nai Publishers, 2002).

Fig.46 Gemeentearchief Amsterdam.“Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City”. 2002: p. 27

50. Moore, Robin C. “Streets as Playgrounds.” In Public Streets for Public Use, edited by Anne Vernez Moudon, (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1987), 45.

|| The graphics, which are not listed above, have been created by the author for the purpose of this thesis.

51. Fuchs, Rudi et al. Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City. Edited by Liane Lefaivre, and Ingeborg De Roode (Rotterdam: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Nai Publishers, 2002), 27. 52. Van Eyck, Aldo. Writings, Aldo Van Eyck. Edited by Vincent Ligtelijn, and Francis Strauven. Vol. 1, The Child, the City and the Artist. (Amsterdam: SUN Publishers, 2008), 23.

Illustration Credit List Chapter 3. Fig.29 Moore, Robin C. and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard.1997: p.212 Fig.30

author’s archive

Fig.31

Moore, Robin C. Childhood’s Domain.1987: p.154

Fig.32 Van Eyck archive. Aldo Van Eyck / Writings. The Child, the City and the Artist. 2008: p.221 Fig. 33

author’s archive

Fig. 34

author’s archive

Fig.35

author’s archive

Fig.36

author’s archive

Fig. 37 short documentary film (on site observation research), author’s archive Fig. 39

google maps

Fig. 40 Hara, Todd. “Kayla’s trip home from school”. Public Streets for Public Use.1987: p.51 Fig.41

author’s archive

4 Design Proposal

chapter 4: Design Proposal

A. SIDEWALK DESIGN MANUAL for child-friendly streets 4.1 Type of Manual

As it has already been mentioned in chapter one, the purpose of this thesis is to create a manual for designing urban sidewalks as a safe and stimulating environment for every child and eventually for everyone. The proposed Sidewalk Design Manual can be applied to streets within the radius of 0.3 miles from a child’s destination. For this project, a “child destination” is considered to be a school, a playground, a park, a recreational center or an educational institution.

0,3

mil es

More specifically, the goals of this particular manual will be to:

1. Ensure Safety for pedestrians. 2. Reveal the Natural Environment on the city sidewalk. 3. Utilize the sidewalk as a broadened Learning Environment. SITE SELECTION CHECKLIST

The sections of the manual are design elements that designers would be asked to create in the case of a street design project. Sections: • Intersection • Mid-block crossing • Sidewalk zoning

• • •

Shared street Sidewalk equipment School sidewalk

4.2 Site Selection Checklist The manual includes a Site Selection Checklist, which is a set of criteria that will define the specific sites where the suggested guidelines can be applicable. Firstly, the selected district has to be of a certain urban density and demographic data. More specifically, applicable sites are urban mixeduse neighborhoods with a proximity to schools, which presumably in most cases implies a sufficient percentage of family residencies. Secondary criteria refer to the spatial characteristics of the site, such as street and sidewalk dimensions, street typologies, traffic volumes and unique elements of the selected neighborhood, such as landmarks, natural features and so on.

demographics population density proximity to places of a child’s interest • schools • playgrounds • parks • community gardens

dimensions and profile of the streets • size • lanes • traffic volumes • ground floor land uses

dimensions of the sidewalk special - unique characteristics of the sidewalk residual underutilized spaces

school sidewalk

sidewalk equipment

shared street

_stormwater planter_

sidewalk zoning

_educational sidewalk elements_

_shared sidewalk equipment_

_shared activities street_

_“in-between” zone_

_signage _

_sidewalk extension_

_intersection“clear zone”_

_raised crosswalk_

DESIGN TOOLS

mid-block crossing

intersection

DESIGN ELEMENTS

LEARNING

ENVIRONMENT

NATURAL

SAFETY

PRINCIPLES

chapter 4: Design Proposal

4.3 Community Survey - Questionnaire An optional questionnaire for a community survey is included, which can be conducted during the regular community meetings. This questionnaire is for the residents of the selected neighborhood who are parents. The purpose of this recommended survey is to enrich the regular site analysis with the resident’s insights. Therefore, the proposed type and place of the design interventions will be tailored to the specific needs of the local community. The provided sample questionnaire (see appendix) includes mainly questions about the ways the residents with children perceive and use the streets of their neighborhood. However, these questions can be changed and adjusted to each different project.

Conduct a survey with the community Child Friendly Neighbourhood questionnaire: Parent/ Resident Instructions for designer – surveyor: A three-page questionnaire template is provided for an optional community survey. In order to adjust this questionnaire template to a specific project, the designer - surveyor is required to:

• Add a neighborhood map in the boxes as shown. • Define the neighborhood’ s boundaries by using the street names. • Fill in the sections written in gray font according to each question’s indication.

chapter 4: Design Proposal

4.4 Design Issues & Design Tools Nowadays, the city streets are usually considered to be an unsafe environment for a child to walk, play or even to just stroll around without the parental surveillance. In addition to that, the sidewalk does not provide a very friendly atmosphere or an inviting space for a child to socialize and learn. Therefore, in order to create valid guidelines for a child-friendly street design manual, it is required to firstly address the issues that occur on the streets, degrading their quality as public spaces. The design issues are categorized according to the sections of the manual.

Intersection A safety issue occurs in every street intersection. The types of pedestrian crossings vary but the safety issue for children occurs even in those that are sufficiently signalized. When the pedestrian is a child the visibility issue becomes even more complicated due to the height of the child. Additionally, street elements of certain dimensions such as trash bins, mailboxes, newspaper boxes, which are placed for functional reasons on the corner of the sidewalks, can also block the visibility of the driver.

Design Issue #1: Limited Visibility: child’s height

1,80 1,35

sidewalk roadway

Design Issue #2: Limited Visibility: cluttered intersections

1,80 1,35

chapter 4: Design Proposal

The proposed guidelines for street intersections right next to a child destination would be the following: a. Commercial street + Commercial street

• Design a raised crosswalk with curb extension. By raising the crosswalk the designer achieves two goals. On the one hand, raising the crosswalk adds to the height of the child, making him more visible and on the other hand it functions as a speed bump, obliging the driver to slow down. The specific design of the crosswalk will depend on the intersection type. a. Commercial street + Commercial street Intersection: design a speed table.

b. Commercial street + Residential street

b. Commercial street + Residential street Intersection: design a raised crossing on the commercial street and rubber speed bumps on the residential street. BUMP

BUMP

c. Residential street + Residential street: Design rubber speed bumps on both the residential streets.

c. Residential street + Residential street

BUMP

chapter 4: Design Proposal

•

Determine a Sidewalk Clear Zone.

Define the driver’s sight triangle on the intersection as the Sidewalk Clear Zone, where no additional street elements can be placed. More specifically, as the diagram shows, objects of a certain width such as trash bins, mailboxes, newspaper boxes and so on cannot be placed within the limits of this zone in order to avoid blocking the driver’s vision when approaching a pedestrian crossing.

•

Child Friendly Signage.

Besides the existing signage that indicates a pedestrian crossing to drivers and the traffic flow to the pedestrians, special signage for children is required at intersections next to their destinations. More specifically, special signage can be placed on the floor since according to the aforementioned research and observations in chapter 3 “A child’s Perspective”; the floor is a surface where children are more likely to notice the signage.

LOCATION

floorscape

traffic light pole

sign on a pole/traffic light pole

SIGNAGE TYPE

0.9 m

USER

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Mid-block Crossing Children, in general, tend to cross the street directly to their destination. Therefore, when a child destination is located on a commercial street, a more mindful design needs to be suggested in order to provide a more safe option for crossing that street. Design Issue: Children tend to cross the street directly to their destination

The proposed guideline for this case would be the following:

•

Design a Μid-block crossing with a curb extension.

A mid- block crossing will provide a convenient location for pedestrians to cross the street where the child destination is located on a long block.

Specific mid-block crossing design: a. Zebra crossing, in order to indicate the existence of a frequent pedestrian crossing movement. b. In-pavement flashing warning lights, in order to warn the drivers that they are approaching a pedestrian crossing. c. Curb extension, in order to reduce the crossing distance and allow both the pedestrians about to cross and the approaching vehicle drivers to see each other. d.

Child Friendly Signage (as described above)

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Sidewalk Zoning Generally, sidewalks are designed according to a standard zoning which includes the vegetation and furnishing zone, the pedestrian through zone and the spill-out zone for commercial streets. A design issue that occurs because of the way equipment and activities are allocated on the sidewalk space is that the access to the roadway remains uncontrolled. In other words, there is nothing that actually prevents children -and everyone in general- from crossing the street unexpectedly for the vehicle driver. Design Issue #1: Sidewalk Edge: Uncontrolled access to the roadway

residential property line

Design Issue #2: Sidewalk Inner Zone: Can the inner zone of the sidewalk create a stimulating environment for children?

furnishings/ vegetation zone

pedestrian through zone

property line

curb zone

residential

chapter 4: Design Proposal The proposed guideline in order to manage the access to the roadway would be:

•

Thicken the curb zone.

Form the curb zone as a kind of a boundary that will indicate the specific places for access to the roadway. Furthermore, such design approach aims to help the children learn to use the designated areas for crossing the street through their own experience. residential property line

pedestrian through zone blurred boundary

furnishings/ vegetation zone parking egress zone

Moreover, another observation that emerges from the research in chapter 3 “A Child’s Perspective”, is how much children get attracted by the tactile surfaces and level differences formed by the buildings’ facades. Therefore, a suggestion towards a more stimulating and child-safe sidewalk environment would be the more thoughtful design of the inner sidewalk edge next to the property line.

• Create the “in-between”53 zone on non-commercial streets. The “in-between” zone can be a narrow strip of the sidewalk surface at its inner edge. The benefit of designing this zone as a stimulating environment for children (e.g. tactile surface, vegetation) would be to attract them in the inner side of the sidewalk and eventually keep them in a safe distance from the car traffic. This design approach can be an example of how to ensure the movement of the child on the safest side through design and not through a parent scolding. Moreover, this guideline offers a broader benefit to the neighborhood’s public life since it forms a threshold between the private and the public realm54 . residential property line “in- between” zone blurred boundary

pedestrian through zone blurred boundary

furnishings/ vegetation zone parking egress zone

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Shared Street As the contemporary cities reshape themselves over time due to the economic and social changes, the zoning of each city district gradually changes. Thus, conflicts between incompatible adjacent land uses often occur especially in areas that are through a transitional phase. Design Issue: When the ground floor land uses adjacent to a child’s destination have blind sidewalk frontages the context of the child’s destination becomes degraded due to the lack of “eyes on the street”55.

The proposed guideline in order to re-generate the desired street life next to a child’s destination would be the following:

•

Design a Shared Activity Street.

The Shared Activity Street is a shared street that will not only reduce the car flow and speed on the specific street but will also be designed in such a way to create a second layer of temporary land uses (eg. designs that promote an outdoor market activity /play activity/ cultural activity).

property line traffic through designated space for temporary land uses shared activity street

street equipment

bike rack/ signage/ mailbox

planting area special pavement

property line

entrance pavement designed grid to accomodate structure installation street market / exhibition panels/ temporary structures

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Specific Shared Activity Street design: a. Design an “Installation Grid”. Create a grid layout on the shared street pavement that will accommodate the installation of market stalls or an exhibition’s setting or a play structure and so on. b. Design Special Pavement. Use a variety of paving materials or add information on the pavement that will promote or inspire many types of activities the user could possibly imagine doing. c. Design Interactive Street Equipment. Re-think the street equipment as multifunctional elements that inspire for more than one activity. In this way it is more likely that a passerby of the street will end up being an occupant of this newly introduced public space.

Street Equipment Generally, the equipment that is placed on the sidewalk to accommodate the pedestrian needs is designed according to the basic standards for an average adult person. In other words, the regular street equipment is usually not designed to fit the child’s scale. Design Issue: Regular street equipment is not designed to fit the child’s scale.

180 165 Highest Shelf

150

Eye Level

135 120 Height in cm

180 165 150 135

Counter Height

90 Wall Mounted Toys

Table Top Height

120

105

Chair Seat Height

6 Age in Years

45 30 15 0 180 165 150 135

Height in cm

120

The proposed guideline in order to provide equipment that can be handy for every user of the sidewalk would be the following:

105 90 75 60 45

Highest Shelf Eye Level Coat Rack Drinking Fountain Counter Height Wall Mounted Toys Table Top Height Chair Seat Height

30 15 0

•

Design Shared Street Equipment.

The Shared Street Equipment is equipment designed in a way to accommodate the needs of every sidewalk user and based to his capabilities. More specifically, it is designed according to the anthropometric dimensions of both the adults and the children.

180 165 150 135 120 Height in cm

Height in cm

Coat Rack Drinking Fountain

105

105 90 75 60 45 30

Highest Shelf Eye Level Coat Rack Drinking Fountain Counter Height Wall Mounted Toys Table Top Height Chair Seat Height

15 0

chapter 4: Design Proposal

School Sidewalk The most important research question that this thesis is about to explore is whether the sidewalk can function as a broadened learning environment where the children can continue learning during the after-school hours through their experience. Furthermore, this question applies also to the street equipment, whether it can be designed to function as alternative educational material outside the classroom. Design Issue: Can the street elements function as educational/ learning material? intuition, ESP,etc (the “sixth sense”)

humidity time -space

temperature (thermal) vision - (visual)

hearing (auditory)

smell (olfactory) social

taste (gustatory)

kinesthetic (limbs - joints) movement

touch (tactile) vestibular (gravity position)

proprioceptive (body movement)

The proposed guideline for designing a sidewalk adjacent to a school that takes into consideration the parameter of learning will be the following:

curiosity

• Design the school sidewalk as a Learning Landscape. Specific Learning Landscape design: In order to create guidelines for a learning oriented sidewalk design, the manual provides a palette of elements – the Educational Design Palette – which is composed according to the aforementioned research on the child’s developmental needs in chapter two. By incorporating a few of the palette’s elements the designer will manage to create an outdoor environment that fulfills the childhood developmental needs.

exploration

invention

In conclusion, this final set of guidelines aims to promote the experiential learning during the child’s daily life in the city. “to understand is to invent” - Jean Piaget

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Educational Design Palette: a. Level Difference Design the sidewalk space in accordance to the topography of its location. After ensuring an obstacle-free way through for pedestrians, design the sidewalk edges in a way that makes the topography apparent. Inform the spatial design by the level differences of the location and thus alternative “routes” will be provided onto an otherwise ordinary sidewalk. b. Interactive Elements Design interactive structures that will inspire the child’s curiosity. Where sufficient space is available, design additional sidewalk equipment that will assist the child as a user of the city. Such objects could be interactive city maps or devices that let the child understand the function of the city and the urban landscape in general. In situations of limited space, a suggestion would be to rethink the shape, form and function of the regular sidewalk elements such as for example the lampposts. Propose multi-functional equipment that lets the child explore and learn through using the otherwise regular sidewalk element.

Level Difference

Interactive Elements

c. Geometry Design the space of the sidewalk using basic geometric shapes and patterns in order to spark the child’s interest in geometry. Help the child relate the shapes, forms and patterns he learns in the classroom to his daily outdoor surroundings.

Geometry

d. Modular Design Find a specific module –for example “dimension a” - and design the space of the sidewalk according to it. Try to align the pavement dimensions, the placement and the size of the sidewalk equipment in ways that the child can measure the place according to the “dimension a”. Thus, the child can learn to measure the space and perceive distances

a/2

Modular Design

a/2

chapter 4: Design Proposal

e. Paving Materials Use a variety of paving materials and create a harmonious space composed of matching shapes, textures and colors.

f. Seasonal Vegetation Choose seasonal vegetation in order to create an urban landscape that changes according to the different seasons. Therefore, the child’s daily context will become a changing landscape that makes apparent on the streets the four seasons of the year.

Paving Material

Seasonal Vegetation

g. Natural Phenomena Invent ways that will make the natural phenomena evident on the sidewalk. Design the sidewalk space and its equipment in a way that children -and everyone- can see, hear and feel the natural phenomena. One suggestion would be to design the floor surface in ways to collect and make use of the stormwater runoff on the sidewalk. Another one would be to propose sidewalk equipment that either animates the spatial atmosphere by interacting with the sunlight, rain, wind or functions by using the natural phenomena as an alternative energy resource.

h. Color Choose colorful materials and objects when designing the basics of the sidewalk. Color is an easy and simple way to generate a more pleasant and playful environment.

Natural Phenomena

Color

“You can’t teach creativity; all you can do is let it blossom, and it blossoms in play”. Peter Gray, “The play deficit”

chapter 4: Design Proposal

B. SITE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES For the purpose of validation of the proposed manual, the aforementioned guidelines of chapter 4A. “The Sidewalk Design Manual for child- friendly streets” are being tested on existing sites. The chosen study area is The Mission District in San Francisco, since it fulfills the manual’s site selection criteria of chapter 4.2. SITE:

Mission District

demographics - density 22,190 households: 38% family households : household with children pct of total: 17% age: 5- 17 years:

Schools

• proximity to schools - playgrounds - educational institutions - sport facilities - parks Edison Elementary School Horace Mann School Cezar Chavez School Adda Clevenger Jr. Preparatory & Theater School Buen Dia Family School

Playgrounds - Parks Dolores park Dolores sports court Dolores playground MIssion Playground Kidpower Park Parque NInos Unidos

Community Institutions Theresa Mahler CHildren Center Red Poppy Art House MIssion Public Library Community Market on Bartlett St

• unused spaces - alleyways Dolores terrace Sevens St Mersey St Orange Alley Vacant Lot on 23rd St - Valencia St

• dimensions of sidewalks Sampling: Dolores St: 16’ 23rd St , Valencia St : 12’ Bartlett: 26’

chapter 4: Design Proposal “Radius of influence” 1. Kidpower Park (Playground)

2. Dolores Park-Playground 3. Mission Playground 6

4. Edison Elementary School 5. Horace Mann School 6. Cesar Chavez Elementary School

Shared street: Hoff St +Kidspower Park

Mid- block crossing: Mission Playground on Valencia St

b School Sidewalk: Edison Elementary School on Dolores St

c d

Intersection: Valencia St - 23rd St 61

chapter 4: Design Proposal

16th &Mission bart station

Hoff Street

Dolores Park

Dolores Playground

Mission Playground

23rd Street Horace Mann K-8 School

Edison Elementary School

et Valencia Stre

Dolores Street

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Site #1: Hoff Street, Mission District, San Francisco. Hoff Street is a low traffic street located right next to the 16th Street and the Mission Street BART Station. It can be part of a very popular route for families between the Bart Station and the Dolores Park. However, the street life that occurs on this street is the slightest since the entire sidewalk frontages are blind facades –garage frontages- except the recently designed fenced playground the “Kidpower Park”. According to the description of the street and the issue being addressed above, Hoff Street can be a site where the following manual guidelines are applicable: • • • •

Shared Activity Street The “in-between zone” Shared Sidewalk Equipment Educational Sidewalk Elements

Existing

Proposed

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Shared Activity Street

Firstly, the proposed shared street design is specifically signalized for the drivers at its entrance. It ensures both accesses to the existing garage stations and a possible way through path for vehicles. In order to avoid high speeds the car through way is not a linear lane but gets interrupted urging the driver to slow down and be more careful. Secondly, the design of special pavement encourages for a second layer of land uses to occur. Since the mission district is a neighborhood where many local arts blossom, this market could provide the space for artists and artisans to sell their work and perform. Therefore, a pavement grid is designed in order to accommodate the installation of market stalls. b. The “in-between zone” In this case the in-between zone is between the public realm – the shared street and a protected public space – the playground. Therefore, the challenge here is to re-think the design of the playground fence so the proposed concept is to design a new playground fence as an adventure for the children and a sidewalk equipment for the pedestrians while at the same time providing the required enclosure for safety reasons. More specifically, this fence: • functions as a transition zone • creates a route, indicating a specific entrance and in that way it gives the notion of entering into another place, other than the sidewalk. • provides paths of a different elevation, which turn into an inside perimeter bench for the parents and it continues as an adventure till its end. • functions as a sidewalk element - a bench / a planting bed

bench

planting surface slope

entrance

c. Educational Sidewalk Elements The pond- tile: A special tile with a hole is placed right next to the planting areas so that it doesn’t interrupt the pedestrian through way. The function of the hole is to get filled with water after a rain shower and instantly create a new setting for exploration and play as a small pond is added to the street context. d.

Shared Sidewalk Equipment (see Site #4: The Mission Playground, Valencia Street, Mission District, San Francisco.) 64

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Design Layers market grid

planting areas & street equipment

car through lane

Kidspower Park

Playground Fence

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Site #2: Valencia Street + 23rd Street Intersection, Mission District, San Francisco. The intersection between Valencia Street and 23rd Street is located right next to the K-8 Horace Mann School. Valencia Street is a busy commercial street which obviously many children have to cross and walk on daily in order reach their school. According to the aforementioned description of the location this intersection can be a site where the following manual guidelines are applicable: • Intersection: Raised Crosswalk with curb extension Sidewalk Clear Zone Child – Friendly Signage • Sidewalk zoning: Thicken the curb zone The “in-between” zone

Existing

Proposed

chapter 4: Design Proposal

a . Intersection A raised crosswalk is designed at the intersection on Valencia Street, since it is a commercial street and accordingly rubber speed bumps on the 23rd Street as being a residential street. Furthermore, the Sidewalk Clear Zone is been taken into account and thus a free from additional elements zone is reserved in proximity to the intersection. Finally, the intersection is equipped with the special child friendly signage. b. Sidewalk zoning • Thicken the curb zone In order to discourage jaywalking, stormwater planters are being designed on the external edge of the sidewalk indicating specifically the locations where the street can be crossed safely. • The “in-between” zone (see Site #3: Edison Elementary School, Dolores Street, Mission District, San Francisco.)

Stormwater Planter

sidewalk zone

stormwater planter

parking egress zone

sidewalk

planter

permeable paving curb street

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Design Layers

sidewalk clear zone

stormwater planters

raised crosswalk speed bump child friendly signage

Horace Mann K-8 School

Raised Crosswalk Detail sidewalk

10’

5’

BUMP

5’

roadway

roadway bump

raised crossing

bump

15m

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Site #3: Edison Elementary School, Dolores Street, Mission District, San Francisco. The Edison Elementary School is located on Dolores Street in the Mission District. The sidewalk in front of the school entrance is a rather wide sidewalk but unfortunately not well maintained and rather plain and dull. According to the aforementioned description of the location this sidewalk can be a site where the following manual guidelines are applicable: • Educational Sidewalk Elements • Shared Sidewalk Equipment • Sidewalk Edge • “In –between” Zone

Existing

Proposed

3.10 2.95 2.80

0.75 0.60 0.45

chapter 4: Design Proposal

a. Educational Design elements. In an effort to explore the design of an interactive device that can be on the one hand feasible and on the other hand educative and playful, the proposed concept for this site specific project is to design an structure that works with sunlight and color. Therefore, the proposed device is a steel structure that can be installed on the existing lampposts at the level where a child can reach it. The components of this structure are: • at the upper part: three arms that each carry a colored filter of the three basic colors. Yellow – Blue - Red • at the lower part: three wheels that the child can turn and each one of them has a colored stripe indicating the color filter it refers to. How it functions: The sunlight or the lamppost light goes through the colored filter creating a colored shadow on the sidewalk The child has the ability to turn the wheels and animate the sidewalk in his own way. While the filters are moving the basic colors are mixed altering the color outcome on the sidewalk. Thus, the child can realize and learn what happens when you mix the basic colors. Additionally, for safety reasons the wheel can turn only to 180 degrees in order to keep the children in the inner side of the sidewalk. b.

Sidewalk Zoning

• The sidewalk edge: (see Site #2: Valencia Street + 23rd Street Intersection, Mission District, San Francisco.) •

The in-between zone:

The in-between zone guideline in this site-specific example is translated in a school sidewalk garden where children can grow and take care of their plants anytime of the day. Additionally, the planting beds are designed to function in multiple ways, either the child can get on the “step” to take care of his plants or use the “step” as a bench.

0.90 m 0.60 m 0.30 m

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Design Layers educational design school sidewalk garden stormwater planter

Lamp post Installation

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Site #4: The Mission Playground, Valencia Street, Mission District, San Francisco. The Mission Playground in the middle of a long block on Valencia Street. As mentioned previously at the Site#2 design example, Valencia Street is a busy commercial Street. Therefore, having a playground in this location raises a safety issue in crossing the street. According to the aforementioned description of the location this sidewalk can be a site where the following manual guidelines are applicable: • • • •

Mid-block Crossing Shared Sidewalk Equipment Sidewalk Edge Intersection: Child-Friendly Signage

Existing

Proposed

chapter 4: Design Proposal

a. Mid-block Crossing The crossing is a zebra crossing, equipped with in-pavement flashing warning lights that are being activated by a specific button located on the curb extension, exactly where the pedestrians are encouraged to stand while waiting to cross. b. Shared Sidewalk Equipment The concept of this proposed bike rack is to be a multifunctional sidewalk element. Therefore the design of this bike rack: • Provides places to lock either an adult’s or a child’s bike. • Is designed according to certain dimensions and shapes that encourage a child to use it as a bench or a step when a bike is not parked. • Is inspired by the regular railing playground equipment and accordingly designed to provide the opportunity to a curious child to swirl and swing around it safely. c. Sidewalk Edge (see Site #2: Valencia Street + 23rd Street Intersection, Mission District, San Francisco.) d. Intersection: Child-Friendly Signage Additionally, child friendly signage is also added on the pavement. • A sign: to indicate to press the button and activate the in- pavement flashing warning lights. • A red-dotted line on the curb edge: to indicate where the child should stand while waiting on the sidewalk.

Special Signage

red dot edge

pavement signage in-pavement flashing warning lights

chapter 4: Design Proposal

signage for : child adult traffic stormwater planter & street equipment

Mission Playground

Shared Bike Rack

adult bike rack adult bench child bench

child bike rack

180

Height in cm

135

chapter 4: Design Proposal

Endnotes Chapter 4. 53. “inbetween”, philosophical term which Aldo Van Eyck borrowed from Martin Buber and coined the phrase “the inbetween realm”. 54. Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture (Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1998), 32. 55. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. (New York: Vintage Books. A Division of Random House, Inc., 1992).

Illustration Credits || The graphics, which are not listed above, have been created by the author for the purpose of this thesis.

5 Conclusions

chapter 5: Conclusions

Although children make up a big part of a city’s population, little action has been taken in order to accommodate their needs and desires as equal residents and users of the city. The proposed Sidewalk Design Manual for childfriendly streets aims to add a missing link in the process of designing today’s public spaces. The Manual draws the designer’s attention to a typically overlooked portion of public space - the sidewalk - and highlights the issues that in many cases make the sidewalk an unsafe and unfriendly environment for young city dwellers. This research shows a street is a space that can significantly contribute to the child’s development. If designed consciously, it can be the ideal place for free play and informal learning in the city. Thus the Manual adds another variable to the designer’s principles while developing a street design project. The additional suggestions provided here aim to inform the urban design about the special needs and requirements of a rather important user of the public space: children. The set of guidelines and tools listed in the six different sections of the manual suggest alternative but rather simple ways to design a sidewalk and significantly improve its spatial quality for the children and eventually for everyone. By creating a space that a child feels safe to use – you create a space that is safer for pedestrians of every age. By designing a space where a child is inspired to explore and learn – you design a pleasant space for everyone. By forming continuous paths in the city where the child enjoys walking by himself – you form paths that are comfortable for every pedestrian. In conclusion, the proposed Sidewalk Design Manual suggests guidelines and tools for a safer and more educative design of public spaces, a more environmentally conscious design of the cityscape and highlights the importance of employing the designer’s creativity and imagination while designing a city sidewalk. The manual can be used as a complementary design tool for shaping public spaces to be more likely to promote a brisk public life in the city. As a designer, a researcher and a proud “city child”, I hope that the guidelines suggested in this thesis can inform designers of the small details that can make a big impact in the quality of the space he or she generates within the city. “If cities are not meant for children they are not meant for citizens either. If they are not meant for citizens- ourselvesthey are not cities.” 6 –Aldo Van Eyck

Bibliography

bibliography

Books: Appleyard, Donald. Livable Streets. Protected Neighborhoods. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 1981. Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. Oxford University Press, 1977. Cobb, Edith. The Ecology of Imagination in Childhood. New York: Columbia University Press, 1977. Dudek, Mark. Children’s Spaces. Oxford: Architectural Press Elsevier, 2005. Fuchs, Rudi, Lia Karsten, Liane Lefaivre, Anja Novak, Debbie Wilken, Ingeborg De Roode, Erik Schmitz, and Francis Strauven. Aldo Van Eyck. The Playgrounds and the City. Edited by Liane Lefaivre, and Ingeborg De Roode. Rotterdam: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Nai Publishers, 2002. Gehl, Jan, Lars Gemzøe, Sia Kirknæs, and Britt S. Søndergaard. New City Life. Copenhagen: Danish Architectural Press, 2006. Gehl, Jan. Life Between Buildings. Translated by Jo Koch. Using Public Space. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1987. Hart, Roger. The Changing City of Childhood: Implications for Play and Learning. City College Workshop Center, 1986. Hertzberger, Herman. Lessons for Students in Architecture. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1998. Hertzberger, Herman. Space and Learning. Lessons in Architecture 3. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 2008. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books. A Division of Random House, Inc., 1992. Kinchin, Juliet, and Aidan O’ Connor. The Century of the Child. Growing By Design 1900 -2000. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 2012. Lefaivre, Liane, and Alexander Tzonis. Aldo Van Eyck, Humanistic Rebel: Inbetweening in a Postwar World. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 1999. Lynch, Kevin, and Gary Hack. Site Planning. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1984. Meuser, Philip, and Daniela Pogade. Construction and Design Manual. Wayfinding and Signage. Berlin: DOM Publishers, 2010. Moore, Robin C. Childhood’s Domain. Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1987. Moore, Robin C., and Herb H. Wong. Natural Learning, the Life History of an Environmental Schoolyard. Berkeley: MIG Communications, 1997. Piaget, Jean, and Barbel Inhelder. The Child’s Conception of Space. Translated by F.J.Langdon and J.L.Lunzer. New York: Routledge, 1997. Smitshuijzen, Edo. Signage Design Manual. Switzerland: Lars Muller Publishers, 2007. Stine, Sharon. Landscapes for Learning. New York: John Wiley&sons, Inc., 1997. Tumlin, Jeffrey. Sustainable Transportation Planning. Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy, and Resilient Communities. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2012. Van Eyck, Aldo. Writings, Aldo Van Eyck. Edited by Vincent Ligtelijn, and Francis Strauven. Vol. 1, The Child, the City and the Artist. Amsterdam: SUN Publishers, 2008.

bibliography Van Eyck, Aldo. Writings, Aldo Van Eyck. Edited by Vincent Ligtelijn, and Francis Strauven. Vol. 2, Collected Articles and Other Writings 19471998. Amsterdam: SUN Publishers, 2008. Wadsworth, Barry. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive and Affective Development: Foundations of Constructivism. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1996. Ward, Colin. The Child in the City. New York: Pantheon Books, 1978. H.William, Whyte. City. Rediscovering the Center. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988. Whyte, H.William. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Washghton, D.C.: The Conservation Foundation, 1980. Woodson, Wesley E., Barry Tillman, and Peggy Tillman. Human Factors Design Handbook. 2nd ed. Information and Guidelines for the Design of Systems, Facilities, Equipment, and Products for Human Use. McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992.

Journal Articles / Book Chapters / Conference Proceedings : Christopher, Alexander. “A City is Not a Tree.” Design, London 206 (1966): Lynch, Kevin, and Carr, Stephen. “Where Learning Happens.” Daedalus (1968): Lynch, Kevin, and Lukashok, Alvin K. “Some Childhood Memories of the City.” Journal of the American Institute of Planners (1956): 142 -152. Moore, Robin C. “Streets as Playgrounds.” In Public Streets for Public Use, edited by Anne Vernez Moudon, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1987. Parr, A. E. “The Child in the City: Urbanity and the Urban Scene.” Landscape 16:3 (1967): 3-5. Professor Dr. Angelus Eisinger,HCU HafenCity, and University Hamburg. “Agenda for Child Friendly Neighborhood Planning Policy Recommendations for European Cities to Support Children and Young People.” Paper presented at the Cities For Children, Stuttgart, 2012. Dolf, Schnebli. “Environments for Children.” Mass Magazine (1988): 12 - 17. Southworth, Michael, and Susan Southworth. “The Educative City.” In Alternative Learning Environments, edited by Gary Coates, Stroudsburg: Dowden, Hutchinson &Ross, Inc., 1974. Tranter, Paul J., and Doyle, John W. “Reclaiming the Residential Street as Play Space.” International Play Journal 4 (1996): 91-97.

Dissertations: Southworth, Michael. “An Urban Service for Children Based on Analysis of Cambridgeport Boys’ Conception and Use of the City.” Massachussetts Institute of Technology, 1970.

Appendix

appendix

Child Friendly Neighbourhood questionnaire: Parent/ Resident Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey by the (surveyor’s name/ profession). Your feedback is important to us in how we can redesign your neighbourhood streets as a more child friendly environment. Please mark the circle next to the answer of your choice .

neighbourhood map Neighbourhood: define limits neighborhood – street names

1. You are: Father

Mother

2. Which is your age group? 20 -29

40 - 49

60 - 69

30 - 39

50 - 59

70 and over

3. How long have you lived in this neighbourhood? less than a year

6 - 10 years

1 - 5 years

more than 10 years

4. What is (are) the gender and age(s) of your children? please write the number in the box Age

Gender

Age

Gender

M F

5. How do your children usually go to school? check those that apply walk

car

walking school bus

bike

school bus

other

appendix

Child Friendly Neighbourhood questionnaire: Parent/ Resident (continue #1)

6. How often do you let your children walk independently in the neighbourhood? never

rarely

sometimes

daily

often

Only on specific routes (ex. from home to the corner shop) please describe 7. On a scale of 1 – 5, where 1 is very unsafe and 5 is very safe, how would you rate the following streets/intersections of your neighborhood? please circle the number of your choice. street name1

streetname 2

streetname 3

streetname 4

streetname 5

streetname 6

Please choose one of the following issues and explain. Traffic

Intersection Design

Sidewalk dimensions

Other

8. Which routes do your children usually prefer when walking in your neighbourhood? please mark the preferred routes on the map

neighbourhood map 83

appendix

Child Friendly Neighbourhood questionnaire: Parent/ Resident (continue#2)

9. On a scale of 1 – 5, where 1 is never free (only in designated areas) and 5 is always free, rate how free your child can play in your neighbourhood ? please circle the number of your choice and explain. never

rarely

sometimes

often

always

10. What are the problems with your neighborhood’s streets from the children’s point of view? Uncontrolled intersections

Narrow sidewalks

Unsafe environment

Pedestrian unfriendly environment

Other

Please explain.

11. Based on your children’s experiences, how would you improve your neighbourhood’s sidewalks for children?

Add more colour

Add more seating areas

Signage

Add more vegetation

Add more room to encourage more activities.

Other suggestions. Please explain.