6.2.3 PUBLIC SPACE: By having a high density in and throughout the retirement community, there is also an increase in safety. In The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), Jane Jacobs refers to a concept which she calls the eyes-on-the-street approach. Jacobs (1961) states that this concept of eyes on the street (which she refers to as activity taking place in city streets) keeps a constant flow of movement and security. This means that where there is a constant stream of people, there is safety. This constant flow of people who regularly act out their daily routine then creates a congenial atmosphere, which in turn increases the social character of the space and makes it more convenient for people to get to know each other. The next connection in the strategy is to connect the elderly to publicly accessible spaces.
06: CONCEPT AND DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
According to Jagannath (2016), people who live in cities use public spaces such as streets and plazas daily due to the feeling of social inclusion and interaction the public spaces provide. Therefore, if one includes more public spaces throughout and around the retirement community (which is typically seen as a private typology), one could incorporate Jacobs’ eyes-on-the-street concept to increase the
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safety in and around the retirement community, as well as allow social interaction and connections to happen throughout the programme. This social interaction could then lead to a more socially connected retirement community that could aid in forming a community and a sense of place, which could help lower the number of lonely and socially isolated elderly and members of the public. In ‘15 principles for designing great civic places’ (2018), artist and urban designer Peter Ciemitis says well-designed public spaces must have distinct attributes for the space to be considered successful. Ciemitis (2018) also came up with the 15 design principles he uses as tools to help organise his thoughts when conceiving, repairing, designing or activating public spaces:
