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Acknowledgement STUDENT RESEARCHERS

Patrick Begley Thomas Hickey Lindsay Pericich Katie Smith Brianna Sorensen Riley Uecker

GENSLER

David Broz Adam Gumowski Golnar Iranpour Sarah Jones Jonas Philipsen Mark Schwamel Joel Spearman

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Jae Chang Marie-Alice L’Heureux Paola Sanguinetti

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The University of Kansas and Gensler have partnered to create an eight month co-op program for graduate level architecture students. The program provides students with a professional experience in research and a traditional architectural intern experience, working in Gensler offices around the country. The intent of this studio is to encourage exploration and creative thinking while developing interdisciplinary and long distance collaboration skills, and expressive design communication through the use of multiple medias.

The internship program provides a valuable experience working alongside industry professionals, consultants, contractors, and clients. The internship also provides an orientation to the professional workplace, the spirit of design teams, the design and delievery process, and an integration and exploration of three distinctly different cities. Time was split 80/20 between clientcentric design work with project teams in each office and the exploratory research project.

The internship is followed by a semester-long design studio in the spring in Lawrence, KS. Alongside the KU Architecture Faculty, the Gensler sponsors remain involved to provide consistent professional participation in studio reviews, critiques, and semester studio development. The spring studio will serve as a manifestation of the research conducted in the fall internship.

Foreword As participants of the University of Kansas/Gensler Co-Op Internship, we continued to explore the human interface with the urban environment by investigating the role of public space in changing cities at a local scale as well as a global one. Last year’s Co-Op concluded that the Humanization of Cities revolves significantly around each human’s proximity to life’s necessary and desirable amenities, proving that human dimension thrives upon its relationships: social, cultural, environmental, and spatial.

Public space becomes the stage for all these relationships to flourish or fail. This was the focus for the 2015 KU Urban Lab’s research. Specifically, we focused on critically studying small urban spaces and their impact on our urban environments. What is the overall well-being of the people: physically, emotionally, and socially?

Throughout the course of this semester we have investigated numerous topics within the overarching realm of public spaces in urban centers. Adapting to our new surroundings in our respective cities, we observed both successful and unsuccessful public spaces and tried to identify: what is the key factor to success? We were faced with the question: How can we rethink public space, its surrounding forms (architecture, landscape, art, etc.), and its interface with technology to positively impact the human experience in today’s modern society?

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Contents 01 02

Define

03

Synthesis

04 05

Conclusion

08-09

Establishing the Problem

Approach

12-25

Historic Precedents

Baseline Current Day Observations

Community Survey

Public Space Analysis

28-55

Overall Synthesis

Critical Observations Cultural Identity

The Additional Layers

58-61

Creating Authentic Public Spaces

Appendix

64-139

City Studies Behavior Observation Initial Hypothesis Idea Development Public Space Observation Survey Response Data References

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DEFINE

2014 It was concluded that the humanization of cities revolves significantly around each human’s proximity to life’s necessary and desirable amenities, proving that the human dimension thrives upon its relationships: social, cultural, environmental, and spatial.

2015 Public space becomes the urban stage for all these relationships to flourish or fail. How can we rethink public space, its surrounding forms, and its interface with technology to positively impact the human experience in today’s society?

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Public Spaces Cities +

?

Establishing the Problem “Cities have the ability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”

-Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities

In the first iteration of the KU/ Gensler Co-Op Studio, the students began by researching the humanization of cities. They posed questions such as: How do you humanize a city? What is the human scale? They looked at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Physiological, Safety, Social, Esteem, and Self-Actualization.

From this they created the factors of human need: Health, Infrastructure, and Culture. They sought to prove that through a more thorough integration of these elements into a city there would be a direct correlation to a higher quality of life for the citizens of that urban environment. This study led them to the idea that a balanced variety of proximity provides a higher quality of life and that a higher quality of life has an intangible impact on the human.

desirable amenities, public space becomes the urban stage for all these relationships to flourish.

Throughout history, public spaces have played a significant role in the cultural development of cities.

Public spaces acted as a center of communication and interaction, and each space represented the culture of the people through early urban design, such as the Roman Forum or Athenian Agora.

Today, public spaces remain a significant part of the urban fabric of our cities, but our cities are drastically changing. The world’s population is expanding at an unprecedented rate, and each year more people are moving back into cities for socioeconomic reasons.

As cities expand to keep up with demand, many cities are losing Expanding off the conclusion that their sense of place, as economic the humanization of cities revolves practicality overtakes authentic significantly around each human’s design practices. These changes to the urban built environment proximity to life’s necessary and

are altering the role of the public space. What is the impact of this change as we design public spaces for the future?

How do we create spaces that adapt to the changing culture of the growing city? How do the spaces adapt programmatically to different days, seasons, years, centuries? Our immediate answer was that as people’s needs change over time, their built environment needs to evolve with them. How do we create spaces that adapt to people’s needs over time? How are public spaces tied to the urban fabric and what does that imply for the future of cities?

In response to these questions, we aimed to research the relationship between public spaces and the city to determine the necessities of a successful public space. We also hoped to better understand the significance of public spaces. To begin this study, we looked to the research of last year’s co-op studio.

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APPROACH

Image from William Whyte’s Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

Data charts from Whyte’s original observations of small public spaces.

Still Image taken from William Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.

Shows people using both fixed seating and moveable seating within an urban space.

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William Whyte on Public Space “I end then in praise of small spaces. The multiplier effect is tremendous. It is not just the number of people using them, but the larger number who pass by and enjoy them vicariously, or even the larger number who feel better about the city center for knowledge of them. For a city, such places are priceless, whatever the cost. They are built of a set of basics and they are right in front of our noses. If we will look.”

-William Whyte To begin this line of research we looked to an expert in public space analysis as a jumping off point.

William Whyte was an American Urbanist who in 1969 began to use direct observation to describe human behavior and interactions within the framework of the urban setting, specifically public space.

This initial study evolved into the Street Life Project which studied and documented the behavior of pedestrians within city dynamics.

This became a three-year-long observational study of how small urban plazas, parks and other outdoor gathering spaces are used, including the use and quality of design amenities for sitting, circulation, and other common activites.

of use among a wide range of other Sunlight, Food, Water, Greenery, Retail, specifics.

Accessibility, and Proximity. To us, this list seemed reasonable, common sense Through this study Whyte created a perhaps. But we wondered if research list of necessary elements that must conducted in the early 1970’s would be present in order for a space to stand the tests of time. Would Whyte’s become widely used: Seating (fixed list still be relevant today? and moveable), Access to Streets,

He documented details such as how the space was being used, the climate during the observation, the amount of open space, the amount of sittable space, and the density

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Whyte’s List ESTABLISHING A BASELINE FOR PUBLIC SPACE DESIGN

SEATING

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STREET ACCESS

SUNLIGHT

FOOD

WA

ATER

GREENERY

RETAIL

ACCESSIBILITY

PROXIMITY

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Examining the Past and Present “It is the adaptable, not the well-adapted who survive.”

– Ken Boulding

In addition to looking at Whyte’s analyses of public space, we studied places that have been considered successful for hundreds of years and that have adapted to time and technology.

There are diverse meanings that are carried by spaces and their different functions in the lives of diverse communities. Places like Jardin du Luxembourg, Saint Peter’s Square and Boston Commons are experienced and valued in different ways over the course of time.

Yet, they still carry with them the symbols of their past and have successfully adapted over hundreds of years.

either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace” (Norwich, 175). The square consists of two areas. One area is in the shape of a trapezoid, which creates a heightened perspective for a visitor leaving the basilica; this was largely a product of site constraints. The second area is an elliptical shape bordered by massive colonnades that stretch out like arms around the plaza, symbolic of the Church’s reach in the wider world. An Egyptian obelisk stands tall at the center of the square, and was there nearly 100 years before Bernini designed the space.

On one side of the obelisk, Bernini constructed Jardin du Luxembourg is a 55 acre park in Paris a granite fountain in 1675 to match the that has been open to the public since the fountain on the other side designed by Carlo 17th century. It is well known for several public Maderno in 1613. The cobblestone paving is amenities, including fountains, sculptures, varied by radiating strips of travertine. In 1817 ponds, flowerbeds, tennis courts, pony rides, a circular stones were set to mark the tip of the marionette theater, playgrounds, food kiosks, obelisk’s shadow at noon as the sun entered and open air cafes. The park is well integrated each of the signs of the zodiac, making the into its surrounding urban fabric. It is very obelisk similar to a sundial. In 1950, a new easily accessible and features amenities for wide street leading to the basilica was opened. people of all ages.

It amplifies the majestic view of Saint Peter’s dome, but it also profoundly modified Bernini’s Saint Peter’s Square is a large plaza located original plan. Since its construction in 1656, St. in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City Peter’s Square has become an emblem of civic that was developed during the Renaissance. and religious pride for the people of Rome.

Unlike the more organic, naturally evolving public spaces of the Middle Ages, St. Peter’s Boston Commons is a 50 acre park in square was carefully planned and formally Massachusetts and is the oldest park in designed. The design of main squares such the United States. It is part of the Emerald as this became more unified and based on Necklace, a 7 mile chain of parks linked symmetry. St. Peter’s Square was redesigned by parkways and waterways designed by

by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667 Frederick Law Olmsted. It was designed to under the direction of Pope Alexander VII. It connect Boston Common and Public Garden was designed “so that the greatest number of to Franklin Park. The area saw a variety of uses people could see the Pope give his blessing, and evolved drastically over time. The land

was originally used as a cow pasture, then a portion of it became a public cemetery in 1756. It was used as a British camp for eight years of the American Revolutionary War, and then became the site of public hangings until the early 1800’s. Boston Commons became a true park in 1830, featuring an ornamental iron fence to denote its perimeter. Eighty years later, the park was renovated. Walkways were paved, soil was replenished, and fifteen-ton trees were moved. Shortly after the renovation, World War I began and the park was filled with Victory Gardens. In 1987 Boston Commons became a historic landmark. It is home to the Boston Massacre monument, a civil war memorial, and a sculpture titled “The Partisans” symbolizing the cursed soldiers who fought in the aftermath of World War II. Today it hosts various activities and events including concerts, protests, sports, ice skating, and more. “The Common has remained the most significant public space, almost sacred to Bostonians” (Carr, 58). “Whereas the Boston Common, long associated with ideals of civic and political freedom, continues to be the city’s most popular site for political protests, the Public Garden has remained the grande dame of public open spaces in Boston – a quiet, elegant oasis in the middle of the city.

Despite Boston’s vast transformation, the parks have maintained a symbolic and historic significance that has proved to be critical in establishing the limits of freedom and control under which each is used, managed, and maintained” (Carr, 182).

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1890

1890

Long Acre Square

1900

Renamed Times Square

1904

1907

NYE Ball Drop

1910 1913 Lincoln Highway Terminus

1919

Cultural Hub

1920

Biggest Electric Sign in the World

1930’S- 1980’S

Period of Decline

Illuminated Billboards Rapid Transit

GROWTH

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DECLINE

Times Square in New York City is another example of a public space that has adapted to time, technology, and culture. It is one of the world’s most visited attractions, commonly referred to as “The Crossroads of the World”.

Formerly known as Longacre Square, it was the center of New York’s carriage industry. In 1904, the New York Times built its headquarters on the south side, so the area was named after it.

The Times building was remodeled and became the Allied Chemical building.

After another more recent remodel, it essentially became a giant billboard support and the host of the annual ball drop for New Years Eve. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association chose the southeast corner of Times Square to be the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway, the first road across the U.S. After World War I, Times Square became a cultural hub with theaters, music halls,

1990

Mid. 1990’s

and upscale hotels. It also became an advertisement hub with the introduction of the biggest electric sign in the world in the 1920s. Ten years later, New York City entered a period of decline, and Times Square became a symbol of the city’s decline.

It started to grow in the 1960’s, and by the 1990’s the neighborhood was gentrified. Times Square became “Disney-fied,” meaning that what had grown organically over time there became idealized and tourist-friendly, reminiscent of attractions at Disney theme parks. In 2009, traffic lanes along Broadway from 42nd Street to 47th Street were de-mapped and the area was turned into a pedestrian plaza as a test. As a result of its success, the pedestrian plaza became a permanent feature.

2009 2010

2000

“Disney-fied”

Pedestrian Plaza Test

2015

2020

Pedestrian Redesign & Plaza Official 21st Century Technology

REVITALIZATION

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DENVER, CO

LOS ANGELES, CA

CHICAGO, IL

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Identifying Public Space “In a Society becoming steadily more privatized with private homes, cars, computers, offices and shopping centers, the public component of our lives is disappearing. It is more and more important to make the cities inviting, so we can meet our fellow citizens face to face and experience directly through our senses. Public life in good quality public spaces is an important part of a democratic life and a full life. “ - Jan Gehl We believe that, “Public space is the stage upon which the drama of communal life unfolds. The streets, squares, and parks of a city give form to the ebb and flow of human exchange. These dynamic spaces are an essential counterpart to the more settled places and routines of work and home life, providing the channels for movememtn, the nodes of communication, and the common grounds for play and relaxation. There are pressing needs that public space can help people to satisfy, significant human rights that it can be shaped to define and protect, and special cultural meanings that it can best convey” (Carr, 3).

For the purpose of this research, we have defined public space as exterior urban places that are accessible to all members of the community.

We realize that public space is not limited to parks, plazas, waterfronts, trails, etc., but due to time constraints we restricted our selection of spaces for research to those in exterior urban environments.

each student completed per their observation session.

In addition to completing a standardized form per observation session, we conducted surveys of people using the space. These surveys also had a standardized After looking at historical examples set of questions but then had open ended questions that allowed us to of places that have withstood gain perspective from the people the test of time, we studied 27 that use the space on a day-to-day outdoor public spaces in our respective cites: Chicago, Denver basis. and Los Angeles. Nine spaces in each city were categorized into small (belonging to the neighborhood), medium (serving more than 2 neighborhoods), and large (central to the success of the urban environment) scales and included a wide variety of program such as parks, plazas, waterfronts, streets and trails. The public spaces range from 157 years to only 1 year of public use. Each space was observed and measured by a standardized survey that

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Public Space Observations ANALYSIS OF 27 SPACES

CHICAGO

DE

Public Space: Scale: Neighborhood: Opening Date: Program:

Kempf Plaza Small Lincoln Square 1978 Plaza

Harrison Park Medium Pilsen 1912 Park

Daley Plaza Large The Loop 1965 Plaza

Skyline Park Small CBD 1973 Park

Public Space: Scale: Neighborhood: Opening Date: Program:

L Stop Small The Loop 1896 Transportation

Chicago Riverwalk Medium The Loop/River North 2009 Waterfront

Lakefront Trail Large Lake Michigan 1860 Trail

The Big Wonderful Small RiNo 2014 Plaza

Public Space: Scale: Neighborhood: Opening Date: Program:

Roosevelt Collection Small South Loop 2012 Park

The 606 Medium

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Millennium Park Large Logan Square/Wicker Park The Loop 2015 2004 Trail Park

Union Station Small LoDo 1881 Plaza

ENVER

LOS ANGELES

Cheeseman Park Medium Cheesman Park 1907 Park

Cherry Creek Trail Large Denver 1859 Trail

Grand Hope Park Small Downtown LA 1993 Park

City Bank Plaza Medium Downtown LA 1972 Plaza

Grand Park Large Downtown LA 2010 Park

Civic Center Park Medium Civic Center 1919 Park

City Park Large City Park 1878 Park

MaGuire Gardens Small Downtown LA 1998 Park

LA PD Plaza Medium Downtown LA 2009 Plaza

Pershing Square Large Downtown LA 1866 Plaza

Confluence Park Medium Union Station/LoHi 1858 Waterfront

16th Street Mall Large CBD 1982 Transportation

Spring Street Park Small Downtown LA 2012 Park

Water Court Plaza Medium Downtown LA 1993 Plaza

LA Live Large Downtown LA 2007 Plaza

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Research Process A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF PUBLIC SPACE PUBLIC SPACE ANALYSIS After identifying the wide variety of public spaces we would analyze, we began our public space observations. We developed a list of measurable data that could be observed in public spaces such as the scale, program, technology, landscaping and lighting. The data was taken from all 27 of our public spaces and compiled into a data set using a Google Form.

(See Appendix Page 92-95)

COMMUNITY SURVEY Over 800 surveys were sent to residents in Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles asking their opinion on public space and how it could be improved upon. The word cloud shown on the left represent the descriptive words used to describe a successful public space.

(See Appendix Page 96-135)

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RESEARCH During our public space observations, we also interviewed people using the space to better understand how people currently use public space. We brought together all the data we collected to discuss as a team the common findings in our research on our U Lab Tumblr page. (http://ku-urbanlab.tumblr.com)

DISCUSSION We had weekly GoToMeetings with our team in Gensler Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles as well as occasional meetings with our international peers and University of Kansas professors. We perfected the art of office-to-office communication through the use of GoToMeeting, Skype for Business, and Bluebeam sessions. Sometimes we had to get creative in our use of technology to colloaborate (brainstorming on a white board via webcam).

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SY

HESIS NT

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Observation and Survey Analysis “It’s hard to create a space that will not attract people, what is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished.”

-William Whyte

Based on the synthesis of information gathered during our public space analysis, community surveys, and interviews, the following observations articulate our recommendations for improving our cities’ public spaces of the future:

Through the data we gathered, our overall synthesis confirmed the baseline data that William Whyte developed for a successful public space. Seating, access to transportation, sunlight, retail, water, greenery, food and accessibility all impacted the quality of a public space.

We made these observations through our survey which was sent out to the three Gensler offices as well as a variety of outside sources and resulted in receiving 187 responses. The survey used a formula which ranked the most used words by respondents, helping to confirm Whyte’s baseline and to develop our own.

The entire survey questionaire and responses can be referenced in the Appendix (pages 96-135).

In addition to Whyte’s baseline, we found that artificial lighting, access to wifi and open space also improved public space users’ experience in the modern day.

Therefore, we created a new baseline with Whyte’s original list and adding three elements of our own in order to measure the success of public spaces in our cities.

However, we observed that some of these baseline elements seemed to be valued more in certain cities as compared to others. So, we continued to push our synthesis further to better understand how cultural identity affects the importance of these elements from place to place.

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Observation Results AN ADDITION TO THE BASELINE

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Survey Results AN ADDITION TO THE BASELINE

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Critical Observations AN ADDITION TO THE BASELINE

SEATING

STREET ACCESS

We’ve concluded that the findings William Whyte discovered in the early 1970’s are still relevant today. In addition to his baseline elements of seating, street access, sunlight, food, water, greenery, retail, accessibility and proximity, we’ve developled three more of our own. Based on our current day public spaces, we identified that

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SUNLIGHT

FOOD

artificial lighting, wifi and open space are also critical elements to creating a successful public space.

However, some of the public spaces we observed met the baseline criteria for a successful public space and yet were still unsuccessful. So we were left questioning, what extra element gives public space a sense of place?

WATER

GREENERY

RETAIL

ACCESSIBILITY

PROXIMITY

LIGHTING

TECHNOLOGY

SPACE

CHICAGO DENVER LOS ANGELES

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Cultural Identity “There is often a conflict between preservation and a town/city’s need for transformation and a space for the expression of the identity of our age” -Karl Otto Ellefsen

Our baseline recommendations provide the tangible building blocks of a succesful public space, but how can we go beyond physical elements to engage the cultural identity of a city?

After we identified the baseline elements of a successful public space, we began asking ourselves how could a public space with all of the tangible building blocks still be unsuccessful in certain places?

We began to to dig deeper in order to gain a better understanding of the cultural identity of a city.

Through our research and discussions we identified that there are added layers unique to each place that give a city it’s cultural identity. “Largely a product of social relationships, [place identity] consists of cognitions about the physical world in which the individual lives. These cognitions represent memories, ideas, feelings, attitudes, values,

preferences, meanings, and conceptions of behavior and experience which relate to the variety and complexity of physical settings that define day-today existence of every human being” (Carr, 197). We looked to theories of placemaking and social environments to identify what these layers are that affect public space.

outdoor lifestyle of most users.

Los Angeles public space users wanted to see more seating and openness in their public spaces to leave the office life and enjoy the weather.

Therefore, we believe that the baseline elements we have identified could be applied to all public spaces in order to be authentic. However, the hierarchy We’ve defined the layers of cultural of importance of these baseline identity as the people, the history, elements should be adjusted in the traditions, art, music, food, the accordance to their importance natural and the built environment specific to the cultural identity of the place in which the public space that happen in a specific place.

These layers influence how public is located. space is used differently across different cities, and across different neighborhoods within one city.

For example, Chicago public space users valued water and openness the most in public space due to their ties to Lake Michigan. Denver public space users valued nature and sunlight the most in their public spaces due to the active

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The Pe The Pe

Cultural identity ties directly with the people who us class, generation and locality all affect Public spaces give form to the ebb and flow of hu ity, religion, social class, generation and lo

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eople eople

se a space. An individuals nationality, religion, social t how and why they use public spaces. uman exchange and communication. An individuals nationalocality all affect how and why they use public spaces.

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The Pe The Hi

Cultural identity ties directly with the people who us class, generation and locality all affect

The history of a city impacts the cultural identi why these communal spaces exist and have bee

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eople History

se a space. An individuals nationality, religion, social t how and why they use public spaces.

ity of our public spaces. The stories of how and en used in the past shape their identities today.

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The Pe The Tra

Cultural identity ties directly with the people who us class, generation and locality all affect

Public spaces are experienced and valued in different w pasts and host traditions that are sign

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eople aditions

se a space. An individuals nationality, religion, social t how and why they use public spaces.

ways over time. They carry with them symbols of their nificant to their various users’ cultures.

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The Pe Art/Mus

Cultural identity ties directly with the people who us class, generation and locality all affect

The art, music and food that is found in different citie the cultural iden

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eople sic/Food

se a space. An individuals nationality, religion, social t how and why they use public spaces.

es represent the passions of the people and help form ntity of the city.

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The Pe The Natural E

Cultural identity ties directly with the people who us class, generation and locality all affect

The natural environment of a city impacts how and wh es. Natural scenery also impacts the users feeling of

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eople Environment

se a space. An individuals nationality, religion, social t how and why they use public spaces.

hy the entire city was formed, including it’s public spacf relaxation or adventure when using a public space.

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The Pe The Built En

Cultural identity ties directly with the people who us class, generation and locality all affect

Iconic and historical architecture found in a specific cit

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eople nvironment

se a space. An individuals nationality, religion, social t how and why they use public spaces.

ty is a direct link to a person’s sense of cultural identity.

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SEATING STREET ACCESS SUNLIGHT FOOD WATER GREENERY RETAIL ACCESSIBILITY PROXIMITY LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY SPACE

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The Cultural Identity of Chicago What gives Chicago Public Spaces an identity?

What we heard:

What we saw:

Chicago greatly expanded and Openess, Water and Greenery redeveloped after the Chicago were the three most important elements in Chicago public spaces. Fire of 1871. This left little to no open public space left in the city.

In 1909, Daniel Burnham tried Lighting, Street Connection and to reiterate the importance of Technology were the three least openness to Chicago through his important elements in Chicago 1909 Plan of Chicago. The plan public spaces.

“Millenium Park has been an widened streets, added new parks amazing place to spend time and helped reshape Chicago’s Most public space users visit and explore- from events at the public spaces. spaces alone. We identified that Pavillion, the bean, the water most users in Chicago public space attractions, and the nature walk Mayor Daley also helped revitalize were using the space alone for there are lots of places to sit and relaxation or recreation purposes. many of Chicago’s urban public relax. It does not feel like you are spaces. He is most well known in a big city.” for overseeing the creation of Connection to water is critical to Millenium Park, but also left a the sucess of spaces in Chicago.

“The 606 has changed the way I legacy of “greening” Chicago by Chicago is strategically located on navigate Chicago. It has offered a converting black asphalt school public/urban boardwalk to engage Lake Michigan with an important yards into green space, revitalizing connection to the Mississippi on a community level with.” the Lakefront Trail and encouraging River Valley system through the incentives for green rooftops. He Chicago River. It’s prominent “I like sitting by the water. I just believed that imrpoving the quality water location shaped the initial walked by and saw the space and it of life for people in the city, would development and growth of looked appealing.” help attract new people and new the city for transportation and employers. industrial operations, unlike any “I really like the incorporation of other midwestern city. art and nature throughout the whole park. You can tell that a As Chicago has grown, the lot of thought and money was Lakefront and River have been invested in this space.” seen as an amenity for Chicagoans to escape the bustle of city life and “The public spaces in Chicago are what make this city great. They are provide relaxation and recreation opportunities. unlike any other city in the US!” “The edge of Lake Michigan continually changes each season with events and activities. The different events cause me to stop, take more time to reflect and keep strolling.”

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SEATING STREET ACCESS SUNLIGHT FOOD WATER GREENERY RETAIL ACCESSIBILITY PROXIMITY LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY SPACE

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The Cultural Identity of Denver What gives Denver Public Spaces an identity?

What we heard:

What we saw:

“Denver does a great job of recognizing that quality public spaces are an integral part of the urban experience. You would be hard pressed to find better spaces than Wash Park, City Park and the green belt and open spaces found throughout the space.”

Greenery, Openess, and Sunlight were the three most important elements in Denver public spaces.

“I love the wide open green space and views to the mountains.”

“My favorite aspect of The Big Wonderful is the beer and the food!”

“The opportunity to see other people out and about enjoying the park gives me a connection to my community and to my morality; it is very desirable.”

Food, Retail, and Water were the three least important elements in Denver public spaces.

Most public space users visit spaces with another person.

Connection to nature is critical to the success of spaces in Denver.

Outdoor living is a large part of the Denver lifestyle and this can be seen throughout the many public parks and trails in the area. Denver residents are eager for public spaces that incorporate recreation and allow them to interact with nature and other memebers of the community.

Since the 1870’s, Denver has boasted about its “300 days of sunshine,” so it’s no surprise that Denver residents ranked sunlight as one of the most important elements in their public spaces.

The easily accessible and well connected system of public spaces in Denver makes it easy for residents to enjoy a wide variety of public spaces while soaking up the sun.

“Public parks and trails throughout The state of Colorado has gone a Denver are very successful.” long way to protect these natural public spaces as well. The state “I love that there is so much constitution was changed in open space that is accessible to everyone. It is my favorite place to order to allot funds to protect outdoor spaces. This amendment go in the neighborhood.” has resulted in an investment of over 3,400 public space projects “[The] programming of events throughout Colorado. (food trucks, arts festivals, etc.) changed my perception from a place where the homesless camp to a public space to be proud of.”

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SEATING STREET ACCESS SUNLIGHT FOOD WATER GREENERY RETAIL ACCESSIBILITY PROXIMITY LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY SPACE

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The Cultural Identity of Los Angeles What gives Los Angeles Public Spaces an identity?

What we heard:

What we saw:

Mayor Villaraigosa has also had a large impact on Los Angeles’ public space. He recently created the 50 Parks Initiative which aims to create more public space in Food, Retail and Street Connection under served neighborhoods by converting vacant lots into green were the three least important space. elements in Los Angeles public spaces.

Spring Street Park was one of “Grand Park was an unusable space the parks that opened under this Most public space users visit that I never went to, but the eyeinitiative. The park, which once popping design (the fuschia chairs) spaces with another person. was a vacant parking lot, includes have now made it my go-to.”

Seating is critical to the success of an open lawn, walking paths and seating in a low-maintenance spaces in Los Angeles. The city of “With the consistency of weather design.

Los Angeles is just beginning the and the duality of LA’s urban and natural conditions, opportunity is process of repairing it’s downtown Programing space is also an public spaces to become more boundless!” important concept in Los Angeles valued and usable spaces. They public space design. With issues of have done this by adding a twist “Grand Park is a beautiful place safety and accessibility, program of contemporary culture into the for gathering. It changed my happening in a space draws users design. perception of that area to be one in and allows them to feel safe. that I want to visit.”

LA spaces are being revamped through ‘kit of parts’ and adaptable “Safety and accessibility are big design that really caters to the issues with our public spaces.” individual user. For example, the vibrant pink chairs add more sense “The key to the success of Grand Park is the programming- there are of place to Grand Park and invite people in. tons of reasons to go there.”

“LA has so many varieties of space ranging from the expansive Griffith Park to more formal plaza type public spaces downtown to promenades throughout the local neighborhoods. The wide variety of interesting public spaces is one of the best things about LA.”

Openess, Seating and Greenery were the three most important elements in Los Angeles public spaces.

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Denver

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Creating Authentic Public Spaces “We can build systems to engage people, but until we figure out why they aren’t engaged and using public spaces that they already have today, nothing will change.”

-Paul Soglin Through our 15 week investigation of public spaces we have concluded that in order to make a successful public space there are twelve baseline elements that must be fulfilled in some way. We found that the preferences for these elements fluctuate depending on the culture of each city. However, all three cities ranked “openness” as one of the most important features of a public space. As designers we should capitalize on our knowledge of the cultural identity of a place in order to make public spaces that are truly authentic.

specific demographic for which they are in.

As designers it is important to be aware of the impact of the surrounding culture when designing a public space. The success of the space hangs on the

appropriate use of the baseline elements, but will be truly successful only when the culture is taken into consideration and designed for.

Research Conclusion

We have distilled our research down to the idea that authentic public spaces occur when there is a cyclical interaction between the 12 baseline elements and the established culture of the city. We acknowledge that the culture of the city can be more specific down to the neighborhood culture which opens up possibilities for many different types of public spaces within the city, each serving the

Authentic Baseline Culture Public Spaces

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De si

gn

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ze hesi pot Hy

Spring Semester

Moving Forward “Dull, inert cities, it is true, do contain the seeds of their own destruction and little else...

Lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration, with energy to carry over for problems and needs outside themselves.�

-Jane Jacobs Our goal with this research was to devise a framework for creating an urban space with these attributes and be able to use that framework to inform a successful design project next semester.

The goal of our research this fall has been to develop a foundation of knowledge about urban public spaces. After four months of research we have observed, researched, and absorbed as much as possible about public spaces, what makes them successful, and how we could potentially impact them as designers. We end this semester with a hypthesis about how to impact public space and the question of whether or not we are right.

Moving forward into next semester, we aim to test our hypothesis and synthesize our

findings in a collaborative design studio. We plan to select an existing urban space in Kansas City and analyze it using the methods we developed this semester, and come up with a design scheme to improve that particular space. We will begin with the challenge of: How can we bring back authenticity to public spaces?

We will also continue to grow our knowledge base about different types of public spaces through the addition of four KU students that have been interning in Asia this past fall as well as a French foreign exchange student. We hope to gain different perspectives about how public space functions outside of the United States and look forward to enriching our research through their experiences.

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E TE A M TH

The Team 1 UNIVERSITY + 6 STUDENTS + 3 CITIES

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PATRICK BEGLEY Los Angeles Office

THOMAS HICKEY Chicago Office

LINDSAY PERICICH Denver Office

KATIE SMITH Chicago Office

BRIANNA SORENSEN Chicago Office

RILEY UECKER Los Angeles Office

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AP

NDIX PE

Process CITY STUDIES | CHICAGO

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We began our process with the prompt that PUBLIC SPACE is the urban stage where human relationships flourish or fail and were introduced to the topic as being the focus of our research for the semester. We were given the challenge of rethinking public space to positively impact the human experience in today’s modern society.

During the first two weeks of research, we all watched William Whyte’s documentary, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, and applied what we had learned in the video in our observations of our own cities.

Our first discussion was a presentation format for all of us to better understand the experiences we were all having in the public spaces of Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles.

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Process CITY STUDIES | DENVER

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Process CITY STUDIES | LOS ANGELES

[Allocation of Space] One can see from the graphs to the right that there is a disproportion between the space allocated for parking and open/ of the surface area in downtown is public space. In fact consumed by parking, while a mear 5% is given to open/public space.

36%

What effect does this have on the landscape?

pershing square • • • • •

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located in the heart of downtown los angeles art-inspired town square designed to host community events, concerts area for recreation and leisure its success and functionality is questionable; city has plans to redesign the square

city national plaza

financial district plazas • located in and around the financial district • Designed and dedicated to servicing the business class • Centered around dining activity and retail

wells fargo plaza

water court plaza

spring street park • • • •

vacant lot transformed into a public park evolved into more of a dog park a fence divides the park from the sidewalk gates are locked at night

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Process URBAN EXPLORATION/BEHAVIOR OBSERVATION REPORTS | CHICAGO

• • •

Small Not well maintained Not catering to the neighborhood



LAKEVIEW

BOYSTOWN •

•

1st officially recognized gay village in the U.S. that has become a cultural center for the LGBT community.

• Median Age: 32.4 • Average Household Size: 1.7 people • Family Households: 20.6% •

BEHAVIOR OB.

• • •

A neighborhood that encompasses four very strong communities: Boystown, Lakeview East, West Lakeview and Wrigleyville.

A home to many young professionals Median Age: 32.5 Average Household Size: 1.9 people Family Households: 46.2%

CHICAGO | DENVER | LA

ARE LAKEVIEW’S NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS SUCH UNSUCCESSFUL PUBLIC SPACES?

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On weeks three and four of our research we caught up with our peers who were interning in Seoul and Singapore to get an international perspective on how their public spaces work. We looked more in depth into each of our individual cities public spaces by doing behavior observation in several different spaces.

It was identified that there are buildings blocks similar to Whyte’s that are a part of most successful spaces.

We furthered our research through looking into Jan Gehl’s ideas on public space in Life Between Buidlings and identified that the activities that happen in a space are categorized into necessary and optional activities.

We posed the questionhow can we encourage people to use public space for these optional activities?

We acknowledged that demographics play a large role into how and why public spaces are used differently in different areas and looked further into cultural difference between different neighborhoods that make up a city.

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Process URBAN EXPLORATION/BEHAVIOR OBSERVATION REPORTS | DENVER

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Process URBAN EXPLORATION/BEHAVIOR OBSERVATION REPORTS | LA

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Process INITIAL HYPOTHESES During the next weeks of our research development, we made our first attempt at developing a hypothesis. We came up with the umbrella topic of the emotion of space, with the intention of understanding how a space can make you feel. We each developed sub-topics of elements that we were interested in and these included: water, sensory legos, adaptability, climate, emotional experience and aunthenticity. We later discovered that this topic may be too broad and hard to tangibly measure, so we continued developing new hypothesis through the process of creating thought diagrams.

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ONE COMMON THREAD THAT HAS EMERGED FROM OUR INITIAL ANALYSIS OF OUR RESPECTIVE CITIES WAS THE EMOTION OF PLACE. HOW DOES A SPACE MAKE YOU FEEL? WHAT ARE THE FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO MAKING THE SPACE FEEL GOOD OR FEEL BAD?

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Process IDEA DEVELOPMENT

text description 82 |

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text description KU URBAN KU URBAN LAB | 2015 LAB | 2015 | 83

Public Space Observations AN ADDITION TO THE BASELINE In order to pull together data to draw connections between Whyte’s baseline and our ideas about additional baseline anaylisis, we needed to observe public spaces in Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles.

As we discussed the different public spaces that we had been experiencing on a daily basis it became apparent that we needed to break our analysis into different categories in order to draw greater comparisons and connections.

The types of spaces we looked at include: parks, plazas, pedestrian streets, bike/running trails, etc. We then collected general data about each space: date of origin, use, demographic it serves.

We utilized Google Forms to accumulate and track the data as it was collected. By creating a form (see image) we were able to standardize the data that was being collected so that each space in each city was being asked the We began by selecting 3 different same questions and hopefully getting similar answers. We scales of public spaces to analize: sought to answer questions about small, medium, and large. the climate and weather, the Small spaces are categorized as time of day that the observation belonging to a neighborhood, was occurring, the natural or less than 50,000 square feet. elements of the environment, A medium public space serves the built environment, if there a greater segment of the urban was technology being used population, often serving two or more neighborhoods. A large in the space, what the space was providing for technology public space is a space widely (WIFI, Signs, etc.), what arts and viewed as central to the success culture activites/objects occur of the city & the well-being of its in the space, and the intended people. Next we selected nine spaces per city, three at each scale. programmatic use of the space.

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Through the use of the standardized form and set of questions, we sought to understand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the elements that are necessary in the formation of an adaptable public space.

Our initial hypthesis going into this data collection was: “We posit that the ability of public space to adapt to time, conditions, and its inhabitants creates a space that more specifically and successfully impacts the growth of the city and the human experience” In addition to our own personal observations of the space, we also interviewed people that were using the space at the time of the observations to gain a more well rounded perspective of people’s opinions about the space.

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Public Space Observations CHICAGO Chicago Riverwalk 11/1/2015 1:00 pm

Kempf (Giddings) Plaza 11/7/2015 4:45 pm

Harrison Park 11/10/2015

L Stop - 窶連dams and Wabash 11/3/2015 3:00 pm

The 606 11/8/2015 3:00 pm

Lakefront Tra 11/10/2015

Millenium Park 11/3/2015 2:30 pm

Roosevelt Collection 11/9/2015 6:45 pm

Daley Plaza 11/13/2015

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k 5 7:00 am

ail 5 7:15 am

5 1:15 pm

The Chicago Riverwalk is located on the border of the Loop and River North neighborhoods in downtown Chicago. It serves as a pedestrian waterfront for these two neighborhoods and is therefore categorized as a medium sized space.

We also looked at a small L Stop located in the Loop that serves several rail lines. The L lines serve as Chicago’s main form of public transportation throughout the city and are filled with people rushing through the stops most of the day.

Millennium Park was the third space we observed in the Loop that was categorized as a large space because it serves as an amenity for the entire city of Chicago. This large lakefront park received much funding to encompass it’s public art, open lawns, interactive water features, music pavillion and playgrounds.

Kempf Plaza, located in the heart of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, truly serves as a neighborhood plaza that opens up to surrounding retail and restaurants in a walkable highly populated neighborhood. It hosts art fairs, wine walks and a summer concert series.

The Roosevelt Collection is located in the South Loop and serves as a plaza and small park space to the neighboring retail, residential and restaurant users. It is an escape from the urban lifestyle.

Harrison Park is located in the Pilsen neighborhood on the lower west side of Chicago. The park serves the entire neighborhood as a central hub for recreational activites. It is also activated by the neighboring recreation center.

The Lakefront Trail streches 18 miles along Lake Michigan and serves the entire city of Chicago, by connecting the north and south sides. It serves as a great recreational resource for the city as far as biking, walking, running, swimming and boating.

Daley Plaza is located in the Loop in Downtown Chicago and serves a s the stage for anything from city wide markets to protests. The plaza sits in front of the Daley center which is named after longtime Chicago Mayor Daley. It is dominated by a cor-ten steel Picasso sculpture and also includes a fountain. Featured in many movies, this plaza is known as Chicago’s Civic Center.

The 606 is an elevated trail that links the neighborhoods of Wicker Park and Logan Square, through the reuse of an old L track. The brand new trail is a real asset to a park poor neighboorhood. It includes low maintenance planting and wifi.

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Public Space Observations DENVER Skyline Park 11/7/15 2:30pm

Cheesman Park 11/7/15 1:40pm

Civic Center 11/6/15 5:4

City Park 11/7/2015 8:45am

The Big Wonderful 10/31/15 6:30pm

Union Statio 11/7/2015 8

Cherry Creek Trail 11/8/15 11:30am

16th Street Mall 11/4/2015 5:15 pm

Confluence P 11/7/2015 4

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Park 45pm

on 8:05am

Park 4:05 pm

Skyline Park is cuts perpendicularly across the 16th Street Mall. it serves as an urban green space and plaza. It includes some programming with a mini golf course and a water feature that is accessible to play in. While it is currently not a wildly successful public space, the Downtown Denver Partnership is currently working to reprogram the space by taking the publics suggestions.

Cheesman Park was built in 1898 and was originally a cemetery for the City of Denver. Now a park, it is home to running paths and wide open green space that is often filled with people playing a variety of lawn sports. It is also a dog friendly park.

It supports 4 densely populated neighborhoods.

Civic Center Park is located in the Civic Center neighborhood and is directly adjacent to the Capitol. It is often programmed with civic events such as the annual bike to work day and free concerts. In the summer, you will find a food truck food court on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Cherry Creek Trail is a commuter bike trail that serves the entire city. It is below street level which creates a cyclist safe zone for getting downtown quickly without have to deal with vehicular traffic.

The Big Wonderful is located in Denver’s newest arts district RiNo. It is a vacant city block that has been taken over by the public and turned into a weekly event that includes

food, a beer garden, booths for local businesses and all sorts of games.

Union Station is located in LoDo and is a recently revitalized public space. It includes a large open plaza with a water fountain feature and is surrounded by retail and restaurants.

In addition to providing an immense amount of green space and paved trails throughout the park, City Park contains the Denver Zoo; the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and IMAX; tennis courts; horseshoes; baseball, football and soccer fields; two lakes; historical monuments and statuary; picnic sites and two playgrounds.

Confluence Park is at the terminus of the Cherry Creek Trail and is a water park on the river. The space has multiple uses. There are paths that are used for passing through, running, dog walking, etc. There is connection and access to the water. There are pedestrian bridges that pass over the water. It is common to see people kayaking in the river.

16th Street Mall is a pedestrian mall that connects the Central Business District to LoHI, or the Lower Highlands. This space is programmed to provide public space that is accessible to everyone bordered with shops and restaurants. However, it is full of undesirables and is more of a tourist trap. The average Denverite only passes through the space, or avoids it altogether. Its number one perk is the free mall ride that runs the length of the pedestrian mall.

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Public Space Observations LOS ANGELES Grand Park 11/8/2015 2:00 pm

LAPD Plaza 11/9/2015 2:30 pm

Spring Street 11/9/2015 4

Pershing Square 11/4/2015 3:00 pm

MaGuire Gardens 11/4/2015 4:45 pm

City National 11/7/2015 4

Water Court Plaza 11/7/2015 2:30 pm

Grand Hope Park 11/7/2015 3:00 pm

L.A. Live 11/8/2015 4

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t Park 4:45 pm

l Plaza 4:30 pm

4:45 pm

Grand Park is is located in the civic center of downtown LA. The low maintenance park features an interactive fountain plaza, performance lawns, an abundance of street lights, movable furniture and interactive kiosks. The newly opened park also hosts many programs year round.

The Los Angeles Police Department Plaza is an open green space on the site of the LAPD building. It’s a great place to play catch or have a picnic.

Spring Street Park was formerly a vacant lot that transformed into a public park. The surrounding area is primarily residential. A shocking number of people living in downtown LA have dogs, and Spring Street Park evolved into more of a dog park.

A fence divides the park from the sidewalk, and the gates are locked at night.

Pershing Square is an art-inspired town square in the heart of downtown LA. It was designed to host community events and concerts, but also serves as an area for recreation and leisure. Its success and functionality are questionable, but the city has plans to re-design the square.

MaGuire Gardens was formerly a parking lot next to the public library.

It includes gardens with a restaurant, outdoor dining terrace, public art and fountains. It is well populated with landscaping, well lit, and safe.

City National Plaza is located in the Financial District and was designed and dedicated to serving the business class. It is often used as an outdoor dining space over lunch hour. The plaza is situated between two high-rises and sits in front of a former bank building. A vibrant orange sculptural water fountain denotes the center of the space.

Maguire Gardens was formerly a parking lot next to LA’s central library. The park includes gardens, outdoor dining, fountains, pools and public art.

Water Court Plaza acts as a gathering place at the center of downtown LA’s financial district. The space is heavily programmed especially in the summer months and lunchtime hours with music shows. The plaza gets its name for the elaborate fountains, waterfalls and small lake.

Grand Hope Park is located in downtown LA’s South Park community. This small park includes grassy areas, a playground and an iconic clock tower. It is safe and clean which makes it a great place for LA families.

LA Live is a large entertainment complex in downtown LA. It is the location where the Grammy’s, Emmy’s, AMA’s and ESPY’s are all hosted. However, it also acts as a public space surrounded by entertainment and restaurants.

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Surveyed Space Data 27 SPACE ANALYSIS DATA

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Survey Questions

ADMINISTERED SURVEY RESULTS: DATA BASED OFF OF 187 RESPONSES DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONS

PUBLIC SPACE ACTIVITES:

1. What is your age?

10. If your municipality was planning to implement

2. What is your marital status?

technology into a public space, which technologies

3. How many children live in your household?

are most important to you?

11. Rank what kind of designed objects in a space

CITY INFORMATION:

are most important to you. (Lighting, Permanent

4. For this survey, we are defining ‘public space’ as:

Attractions, Receptacles, Seating, Temporary

An outdoor space that is accessible to all members

Attractions)

of the community. When you think of public space,

12. Which natural element in a space do you find

what words or phrases come to mind?

most appealing? (Greenery, Natural Formations,

5. In what part of your city do you live?

Sunlight, Water Features)

6. How many years have you lived in your city?

7. How often do you visit a ‘public space’?

FINAL THOUGHTS:

8. What seasons/times are you most likely to enjoy

13. Is there a public space that has changed in your

a space?

lifetime that is meaningful to you? If yes, what

9. When visiting a public space, who are you

changed and how did that affect your perception

generally with?

and use of the space?

14. Do you have any additional comments about public spaces in your city?

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References PHOTOGRAPHY SOURCES AP Photo. Boston fans can relate to Chicago. 2015.

Chicago, Illinois. Boston Herald. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Cherry Creek Bike Path. N.d. Denver, Colorado.

West Word. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Chicago Lakefront Trail. N.d. Chicago, Illinois. Wikipedia. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Chicago Skyline. N.d. Chicago, Illinois. City Data.

Web. 7 Dec. 2015 Corner of State and Madison after the Fire. 1871.

Chicago, Illinois. The Great Chicago Fire. Web. 7.

Dec. 2015.

Denver City Park Aerial Skyline. N.d. Denver, Colorado. Sky Photo. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

LA Music Scene. 2015. Los Angeles, California. The Daily Trojan. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

LA Public Library. 1900. Los Angeles, California.

Water and Power. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

LA Skyline. 2015. Los Angeles, California. Cheap Cartoon Online Traffic School. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Los Angeles Skyline at Night. N.d. Los Angeles, California. Big Skyline. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Los Angeles Venice Beach People. N.d. Los Angeles, California. Intrepid Travel. Web. 7 Dec 2015.

Leonard, Gary. LA Live Outdoor Event. 2015. Los Angeles, California. LA Downtown News. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Denver Skyline Mountains. 2014. Denver, Colorado. PC Wall Art. Web. 7. Dec. 2015

Mimna, Jim. Christmas in Denver. 2012. Denver, Colorado. J. Mimna Photography. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Denver Sunset. 2015. Denver, Colorado. Klein Bearkats. Web. 7. Dec. 2015

Santa Monica People. N.d. Santa Monica, California. Santa Monica Images. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Gaietto, Sharon. Lincoln Park Zoo. 2015. Chicago, Illinois. Sharon Gaietto Photography. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Sargent, Channing. Grand Park Chairs. 2012. Los Angeles, California. The City Obscure. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Historic Denver. N.d. Denver, Colorado. The Digital Library. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Skydeck Ledge. 2014. Chicago, Illinois. Huffington Post. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

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Solis, Danny. Harrison Park. 2015. Chicago, Illinois.

Ward 25. Web. 7. Dec. 2015.

St. Patrick’s Day Parade/River Dyeing. 2015. Chicago, Illinois. Choose Chicago. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

The Oscars. N.d. Los Angeles, California. News.

Web. 7 Dec. 2015 The Roosevelt Collection. 2015. Chicago, Illinois.

Landscape Online. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Tour de Fat. 2014. Denver, Colorado. Colfax Avenue. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Union Station. 1908. Denver, Colorado. Wikipedia.

Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

Union Station. 2015. Denver, Colorado. Simple View Inc. Web. 7. Dec. 2015

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References WRITTEN CONTENT SOURCES “60 of the World’s Great Places - Project for Public Spaces.” Project for Public Spaces. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“About.” MuseumsQuartier Wien:. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015 .

“Boston Common.” Boston Tea Party. N.p., n.d.

Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

“Boston Common.” City of Boston. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2015 “Boston Common - Downtown Park on the Freedom Trail.” Boston Common - Downtown Park on the Freedom Trail. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“Emerald Necklace.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Oct 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

Carr, Stephen, Mark Francis, Leanne G. Rivlin, and Andrew M. Stone. Public Space. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992. Print.

“Home - Project for Public Spaces.” Project for Public Spaces. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“History of Times Square.” Times Square Alliance :.

N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

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“Jardin Du Luxembourg.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“Jardin Du Luxembourg, Paris.” A View On Cities.

N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“Luxembourg Gardens - Great Public Spaces | Project for Public Spaces (PPS).” Luxembourg Gardens - Great Public Spaces | Project for Public Spaces (PPS). N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“Paris Architecture- Jardin Du Luxembourg.” Paris Architecture- Jardin Du Luxembourg. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“Stadtpark.” A View on Cities. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2015.

“St. Peter’s Square.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“Stadtpark.” Stadtpark. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“Stadtpark, Vienna.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“Stadtpark, Vienna.” - Wikimedia Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“The Benches Are the Coolest Part of Times Square’s Redesign.” Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“The Violent History of Public Squares.” BBC. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

“Times Square.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“Times Square History.” Times Square History. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

“Today in NYC History: In 1904, Longacre Square Renamed “Times Square”.” Untapped Cities RSS. N.p., 08 Apr. 2015. Web. 08 Dec. 2015.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2015.

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+ Chicago

Denver

Los Angeles

The KU Urban Lab is a collaboration between Gensler and the University of Kansas School of Architecture, Design, and Planning Patrick Begley Thomas Hickey Lindsay Pericich Katie Smith Brianna Sorensen Riley Uecker Gensler Program Directors: Adam Gumowski David Broz

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