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Places for People - The Art of Making Places |
©
Anne R. Beer, |
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The art of making places - liveable public space Liveability and design Information needs Design is a very complex process. A designer working to make a space into a place has to bring together all the relevant information. This might include:
Using all this information the designer has the difficult task of coming up with a solution which works by creating the desired setting for the activities of the users. Note: Understanding what makes people define a places as ' liveable' does help to identify some of the characteristics that good urban spaces should have. However, such information does not produce a design on the ground and for designers there are potential dangers in following the liveability information too rigidly. For instance, the data on safety could result in the production of bleak, characterless spaces if taken to the limit, with none of the visual stimulation or variety which cause people to prefer one space over another in the first place. We need people to use public space, as we know that an empty city space is an unsafe space. Designing for people in public environments is about compromises and balances - there are no 'right' designs, but some work better than others, some delight us more than others. User needs A consideration of what the users might need from a built environment is most often considered in terms of the objects that they need to support the activities that they will undertake in any specific space. However, the experiential needs of these same users are often neglected and yet it is these which make the difference between a place that people like to be in and a place which has little impact on the quality of their life and may even cause them unnecessary stress in the using of it. Environmental psychologists have shown that the experiential factors such as finding the way around the town, feeling secure in public spaces, not being too crowded but at the same time having enough people around to feel safe, all impact on livability. Factors such as the feelings of delight and fascination, of being stimulated by the qualities of a place add another level by making the place something special. It is worth being aware that the designer needs to distinguish between places where it might be appropriate to add an extra, in say the level of delight, and others where such experiences are less necessary. The characteristics of a place that cause delight, through beauty or fascination or both can become unnoticed, if they are found everywhere. The human mind needs contrast to be able to appreciate the special. The impact that micro-climate and the presence or absence of green and nature have on users' sensible or sub-concious reactions also need to be considered. However, there is a further set of factors which influences users in their assessment of liveability. These relate to whether the environment created by the new public space facilitates or hinders the daily life of those who live and work in the area and of those who visit it. In relation to the outdoor parts of the project these factors can determine the level of enjoyment and pleasure that users get from being in a city area. The totality of the spaces outside the buildings needs to be considered. That is both public and private spaces and those linked to the communications network of paths and road. What happens within private outdoor spaces directly affects the public spaces and therefore people's perception of liveability. Early consideration (before a plan or design becomes fixed) can even allow reduced capital and long-term maintenance costs to the funders. Delight,
enjoyment, diversity and complexity Enjoyment is critical to the long-term success of this type of area. People will only return to a part of the city if they like the place; if they return, then the place is successful and so will add greatly to the perception of quality of life for the city as a whole. The human mind enjoys complexity. Where the main building blocks are likely for structural reasons to be large scale and simple to look at, it is particularly important that the outside spaces add visual complexity and, therefore, interest. This can occur through the way in which the individual spaces and the links between them are designed. Design guidance - available in the UK Government Planning guidance
Other information
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liveable
public spaces Ideas
about design Liveability
and design Making
places
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Links and References |
Books
and papers Books
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Text and illustrations
(unless stated otherwise) © Anne R. Beer, Map21 Ltd,
2001, all rights reserved. |
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Web pages by Map21 Ltd
Latest update 6 Nov 2003