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The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
- Whyte Styles, 1980
Every architecture student and architect alike should watch this fascinating film about what makes urban plazas work and not work.
It outlines such simple facts and principles that many of the worlds greatest architects forgot/forget, even today. Set mainly in NYC in 1980, the study primarily focuses on NYC plazas and parks such as Seagram and Paley Park, but nationwide examples are used, even Faneuil Hall Marketplace. City Hall Plaza is interestingly never mentioned as a failed public space. He really rags on Houston about the gerbil tubes and connected parking, no streetwall etc. Even San Fran's Westin Bonaventure gets mentioned because of its brutal, unfriendly streetwall with no retail. Street-level retail is stressed heavily and is also the basis for the suggestion of cafes (which lead to NYC's 20% zoning for cafes in urban spaces). Even the subtle details such as the functionality of seating is discussed - too high, too low, obstructions, scale, etc.
It is dated in nature and quite humorous at times, planned and unplanned, but it is surprisingly not-dry for typically dry content.
Enough with the description, just go watch it.
http://vimeo.com/5298850
- Whyte Styles, 1980
Every architecture student and architect alike should watch this fascinating film about what makes urban plazas work and not work.
It outlines such simple facts and principles that many of the worlds greatest architects forgot/forget, even today. Set mainly in NYC in 1980, the study primarily focuses on NYC plazas and parks such as Seagram and Paley Park, but nationwide examples are used, even Faneuil Hall Marketplace. City Hall Plaza is interestingly never mentioned as a failed public space. He really rags on Houston about the gerbil tubes and connected parking, no streetwall etc. Even San Fran's Westin Bonaventure gets mentioned because of its brutal, unfriendly streetwall with no retail. Street-level retail is stressed heavily and is also the basis for the suggestion of cafes (which lead to NYC's 20% zoning for cafes in urban spaces). Even the subtle details such as the functionality of seating is discussed - too high, too low, obstructions, scale, etc.
It is dated in nature and quite humorous at times, planned and unplanned, but it is surprisingly not-dry for typically dry content.
Enough with the description, just go watch it.
http://vimeo.com/5298850