What makes positive public urban space?

Public space is vitally important within the urban environment. These spaces provide citizens with a break from the monotony and repetitive city life cycle of; commute, work, and sleep. They are the streets, parks, plazas, and squares that the public can freely access. Each urban type is structurally different, but the same elements make them successful. These spaces are easily accessible, they offer opportunities to gather, play, or relax. They are people-centered spaces that offer various opportunities for social interactions.

Large open urban area surrounded by buildings. Similar to 'Squares', but with no specific activity.

Open urban area preceding a prominent structure, generally public or civic in nature

Movement through between structures, different scales will allow it to become a Lane, Street or Boulevard.

Large open green area in the city/ town, surrounded by buildings. Variations include; Pocket Parks, Neighborhood parks and large City parks.

The urban environment is a complex organism. Knowing what makes it function takes a good amount of research and understanding. Jan Gehl is an urban theorist, analyst and designer that has spent many years observing the urban environment. In his book, Cities for People (2010), he shares his insights and ideas into what makes positive urban spaces. Gehl (2010) suggests that good public space is filled with public life and that this is achieved by providing a diverse range of activities for people. He presents a particular table that categorises these activities into essential, optional and social activities, each with a plotted respective influence.

Comfort focuses on how people can interact with the space by providing high degrees of accessibility to provide maximally inclusive spaces. It should create opportunities to sit, watch, linger, and chat. It should also facilitate various forms of play and exercise throughout the day.

Enjoyment focuses on how people feel in these spaces. Are elements of the building on a human scale? The spaces should create diverse opportunities for the enjoyment of positive aspects of the climate, as well as other positive sensory experiences.

Further distilled into a set of design criteria, these values become the principles that are used as a litmus test for the precedent studies. These principles help to understand how designers may have taken advantage of some of the criteria in each of their particular responses.

Principles for Positive Public Urban Environments :

Designing for human scale.

Ensuring comfort, shelter, and safety.

The Table illustrates the key influences that optional activities can have. They are directly proportional to the quality of the spaces, offering a diverse range of options for a diverse range of users. Choice is crucial in attracting people, who want to participate in leisure activities, to spaces that add value to their lives. Diversity can help create interesting public spaces.

CitiesforPeople(2010)provides three values that can be integrated into designs to ensure their success: protection, comfort and enjoyment.

Protection focuses on how space works for the people. It should insist on the separation of pedestrians and vehicles, creating more walkable and bikeable spaces. It is also about providing shelter from the elements and any other unpleasant sensory experiences. Day or night, these spaces should utilise passive design elements to facilitate a safe environment for people.

Incorporating diverse programming.

Providing diverse movement options that imbue continuity.

Ensuring connectivity, both visually and physically, to space and activity.

Integrating levels of hierarchy into spaces, movement, and activity.

Ensuring sustainability both environmentally and hedonistically.

Creating a design with maximum integration with the urban system.