The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

Observation is one of the most important research tools in (human) science. When researching about behavioral patterns of people, its advantage lies in the fact that the research subjects, not aware of being "studied", can act naturally. Urbanist and sociologist William Whyte produced, out of his Street Life research project, a book (1980) and a movie (1988), both titled The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, focusing on how people interact with/in public space. This witty movie, shot New York, analyzes how relationship to the street, seating, sun, water, trees, food, and "triangulation" influence the success of urban spaces. Such a research cannot not remind of J. Gehl's Life Between Buildings...

Urban renewal: 1955 vs. 2006

How much can general concern about public realm and social life in urban and architectural terms change in 50 years? Take a look at this two documentaries, both intended to raise consciousness about contemporary tendencies to design and ameliorate public realm and city life; the first is an American animation movie from 1955, Man of action (I love the graphics and atmosphere!), and the second, Contested Streets, put out by Transportation Alternatives in 2006, features the well-known danish architect and urban planner, Jan Gehl.