Research / Public Space Public Life Survey
The edge condition
In its new location, City Hall is removed from the active core of downtown.
City Hall’s design asserts its role as the heart of the city. The projecting height of the tower, the circular central plan of the rotunda, the sweeping curve of the City Council building are architectural statements that clearly speak of such aspirations. But the data of the pedestrian flow across the space tell a different story. Rather than functioning as an epicenter, the plaza embodies an edge condition. Pedestrian activity, considerable for San José standards on the south and west sides of the plaza, drops drastically north and east of the space, so that the plaza functions more like an ‘outpost’ of public life rather than its core. The most noticeable aspect of the misalignment between design goals and the reality is the grand architectural gesture of the embracing wings of the City Council building that project toward the least active part of downtown, effectively making the complex ‘turn its back’ to the city center. 18
Re-Imagining the Heart of San José : Making City Hall Plaza a Place for People