urban design in public space

1. PUBLIC SPACES

2. CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLIC SPACES
• STREETS AS PUBLIC SPACES • PARKS AS PUBLIC SPACES
WHAT IS A PUBLIC SPACE?
Public space or a public place is a place where anyone has a right
to come without being excluded because economic or social
conditions.

4. OBJECTIVES OF URBAN DESIGN IN PUBLIC
SPACES

5. Quality of the Public Area - a place with attractive and successful outdoor areas.

6. Legibility of a space – a place that has clear image and is easy to understand.

7. Diversity of a space – a place with variety and choice.

8. Adaptability – a place that can change easily.

9. Ease of Movement - a place that is easy to get and move through

10. Continuity and Enclosure - a place where public and private spaces are clearly
distinguished.

11. Character – a place that has its own identity

12. HUMAN INFLUENCE ON PUBLIC SPACES
ACCORDING TO KEVIN LYNCH,
Lynch (1981, Pp. 118-119) Identified Five Performance Dimensions Of Urban Design:
 Vitality: The Degree To Which The Form Of Places Supports The Functions, Biological
Requirements And Capabilities Of Human Beings.
 Sense: The Degree To Which Places Can Be Clearly Perceived And Structured In Time And
Space By Users.
 Fit The Degree To Which The Form And Capacity Of Spaces Matches The Pattern Of
Behaviours That People Engage In Or Want To Engage In.
 Access: The Ability To Reach Other Persons, Activities, Resources, Services, Information,
Or Places.
 Control: The Degree To Which Those Who Use, Work Or Reside In Places Can Create And
Manage Access To Spaces And Activities.

13. EXAMPLE OF A PUBLIC SPACE ANALYSED ACCORDING TO LYNCH
FIVE PERFORMANCE DIMENSIONS
SUPERKILEN PARK, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.
Architects: BIG Architects, Topotek 1, Superflex.
Area: 30.0 sq.
Year: 2012

14. Superkilen Site plan (Archdaily, 2012)

15. VITALITY OF THE SPACE
Superkilen is a park that supports diversity. In the
garden, the translocation of an ideal, the
reproduction of another place, such as a far off
landscape, is a common theme through time.
The activities of the Green Park with its soft hills
and surfaces appeals to children, young people
and families.(Arch daily, 2012).

16. SENSE OF THE SPACE
The conceptual starting point is a division of Superkilen into three zones and colours – green,
black and red. The different surfaces and colours are integrated to form new, dynamic
surroundings for the everyday objects(Archdaily, 2012).

17. FIT OF THE SPACE
Facades are incorporated visually in the project by following the colour of the surface
conceptually folding upwards and hereby creating a three-dimensional experience.

18. ACCESS OF THE SPACE
To create better and more transparent infrastructure throughout the neighbourhood, new
connections linking to the surrounding neighbourhoods were created, with emphasis on the
connection to Mimersgade, where citizens have expressed desire for a bus passage.

19. CONTROL OF THE SPACE
To protect from the street ending at the north east corner of the square and to meet the
wishes from the neighbours, they folded up a corner of the square creating a covered
space.
In the heart of the Superkilen Masterplan, it is a space where the locals meet around the
Moroccan fountain, the Turkish bench, under the Japanese cherry-trees as the extension of
the area’s patio. In weekdays, permanent tables, benches and grill facilities serve as an
urban living room for backgammon, chess players etc. (Archdaily, 2012).

20. THE DESIGN OF A PLACE COULD AFFECT THE CHOICES
PEOPLE MAKE FOR INSTANCE
 Where they could and could not go
 The range of uses available
 How easily they could understand what opportunities it offers
 The degree to which they could use a given place for different purposes
 Whether the detailed appearance of the place made them aware of the choice
available
 Their choice of sensory experience
 The extent to which they could put their own stamp on a place

21. EFFECTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON PEOPLE
JACK NASAR(1998), Identified Five Attributes Of ‘Liked’ Environments. Disliked
Environments Tended To Have Opposites Of These.
 NATURALNESS, the environments that are natural or where there is a
predominance of nature over man- built elements.
 CLEANLINESS, environments that appear to be looked after and cared for.
 OPENNESS AND DEFINED SPACE, the blending of defined open space with
panoramas and vistas of pleasant elements.
 HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, environments that provoke favourable
associations.
 ORDER, in terms of organisation, legibility and clarity.

22. People seek to satisfy basically four primary needs in public spaces,
1) COMFORT
• length of time people stay in a public space indicates their level of comfort.
• Social and psychological comfort.
• Environmental factors are also important(sun, wind, etc.)
• Sense of security.

23. 2) RELAXATION
• Natural elements such as trees, water features, greenery and also separation
from vehicular traffic help the body and mind for relaxation.

24. 3) PASSIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
• not becoming actively involved with the environment
• People sometimes go to watch the environment, pedestrian flow, art
activities and other performances.

25. 4) ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
• Direct contact with friends, family and even strangers.
• Successful spaces provide opportunities for contact between individuals.

26. CONCLUSION
Human behaviours in public spaces differ from one another but become similar in
cases where the users are not taken into consideration before the design is
implemented in a given space. Gender is one of the key factors to be considered when
discussing about the users of spaces. The gender gaps in levels of individuality and
belonging in public spaces were small but significant in developing societies.

27. Spain, Daphne. (1992) “Gendered Spaces.” Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York, NY: Random House, 1961.
Paul Cloke, Terry Marsden and Patrick H. Mooney. (2006). “Handbook of Rural Studies”. [online]
Available at:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00330120701787332
Pps.org. (2021). What Makes a Successful Place? [online] Available at:
https://www.pps.org/article/grplacefeat
Placemakingchicago.com. (2021). Four key qualities of a successful place - Place making
Chicago. [online] Available at:
http://www.placemakingchicago.com/about/qualities.asp
JESÚS PALOMARES FRANCO. (2021). Toward a Definition of Urban Spaces.. [online] Available at:
https://arqjespalfra.wordpress.com/toward-a-definition-of-urban-spaces/
REFERENCES

28. THANK YOU