Week 9 Response: The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces
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In response to the synthesized film of the social life of small urban spaces, it is seen that William Holly Whyte formed a small group called the Street life Project to investigate the curious dynamics of urban spaces. Whyte and his team began by looking at New York’s city parks, recreational areas like city blocks and plazas trying to figure out why some city spaces work for people while others do not, and also what practical implications might be about better living, joyful lives in our urban environment.
The film is influential in architecture, and planning circles by William H. Whyte. Whyte analyzes the successes, failures of urban space, observing the natural order of spaces, the way people move through them, providing the knowledge of urban spaces, and ways these spaces can be improved. In the film, Whyte’s team went on to investigate everything from the ideal sitting place on a plaza to the interplay of the sun, wind, trees, and water. These factors together with many more go into what makes a perfect plaza. The team analyzed the behaviors, and interactions of people at this together with other plazas. A number of factors were identified for plazas that succeeded as popular gathering spots. First on the list was an abundance places to sit, and relax. These included benches, movable chairs, ledges, and steps could all provide hospitable seating. Plazas that were lacking life and activity did not provide such sitting as result life, hence there was devoid of lives, and activities of people.
The Street Life Project created an awareness of the New York City. It found out plazas that were one or more stories above street level or full level below the street tended to vacant spaces because they only attracted few people. One unsafe space venue film described was Bryant Park in New York. The interior of the park was not visible from the street, and thus became a ground for drugs, and derelicts. Bryant Park was designed in a different way following the proposal of the Street Life Project team to remove the high hedge surrounding the park, add more benches, and garden in the interior of the park. Now Bryant Park is full of people. At the end of the film, Whyte said that “The Street is the river of life of the city. They come to these...