The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces by William H. Whyte is a documentary made in 1979 to discuss open spaces in urbanized areas. This documentary mainly focuses on plazas, parks, and sidewalks. It is a documentary that looks at several different places in several different cities such as Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces asks different questions like, what makes a good urban space, what makes an open area work, and what draws people to it. William H. Whyte talks about overcrowding of some spaces, while others remain empty.
For example the documentary starts with the topic of plazas. Whyte observes fifteen different plazas to compare and contrast the social life of each space. The documentary discusses that almost every building has a plaza due to the fact that owners told the architects and builders that if they were to build a plaza around the building, they would be able to add more floors to the building, which would result in a bigger paycheck. This is why almost every building has a plaza, but the question is, why are some plazas crowded while others are not?
The documentary argues that there are several very important elements that assist in answering these questions. These elements include: 1. Sit-able Spaces 2. Streets 3. Sun 4. Food 5. Water 6. Trees 7. Triangulation William H. Whyte goes into much detail about these seven elements in the documentary, and although this documentary was made over thirty years ago, I believe that it is still very relevant today.
An element that Whyte discusses in the documentary is the first element of "sit-able space". Clearly there is enough room for people to inhabit in open spaces, but what people need are not just open spaces, but places to sit comfortably. The documentary says that people are going to sit where there are places to sit. and it argues that there are certain types of seats that invite people to sit down, while there are some that do not. William H. Whyte believes that people need choices when it comes to sitting down. These choices include, adding more benches, ledges, and grass. He also insists that it is not a good idea to put benches in isolated places because people like to be by other people.
Whyte talks about the idea of "friendly congestion". From the observations made, Whyte and his fellow researchers noticed that although there is an abundance of open space, people tend to stay closer to the edges instead of occupying the centers of these spaces. This is dues to the fact that there are more ledges and places to sit by the edges of these open area. Whyte argues that these ledges and seats should be "low and hospitable". Today, many spaces like plazas, create spaces that are not inviting because their planters are too high or their seats are not properly proportionate for a person to sit comfortably. Whyte believes that urban spaces need to be well thought out from the tiniest detail like the width and length of a bench seat, to the bigger details of where to place the bench seat.
Whyte talks about all of these details in his documentary, because they are the details that make a difference between overuse and under-use of urban spaces. The seven elements mentioned above are all important to consider when planning an urban space, and when they are combined they can make a huge difference. In The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces William H. Whyte observes what people do and do not like. Things like having different food options, such as food carts, good lighting, water that people can actually enjoy by sticking their feet in, and different activities that bring people together.
An interesting argument that Whyte makes in his documentary is the impact that certain things have on people's feelings of security and enjoyment. Whyte talks about "odd people" in urban areas. In some plazas and parks there are people performing, roaming around, and doing a variety of activities. In places that are open and inviting, people feel more comfortable with these diverse actions taking place. However, if the place is closed off people start to question their safety, and when odd things are happening, people are more aware and tense.
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is a documentary that uses some humor and good observations to demonstrate what makes an open space in an urban area successful. In open urban places, people like to do a variety of activities and it is the small things such as the water that creates a white noise as a background to people's lives, or what kind of seating arrangements a certain place has. All of the seven elements that Whyte mentions in this documentary are connected to each other. The more elements that an urban space contains, the more people will want to spend time there.
This documentary clearly discusses different factors of urban planning that are needed to create effective spaces for people to enjoy. It takes information that was observed by William H. Whyte and other urban planners and uses this information to help people better understand what it takes to design a productive and effective space in an urban area. I think this is an important documentary because it shares certain information that is helpful to know when planning these spaces. Even though the documentary is slightly dated, it still is relevant in today's world of urban planning.
For example the documentary starts with the topic of plazas. Whyte observes fifteen different plazas to compare and contrast the social life of each space. The documentary discusses that almost every building has a plaza due to the fact that owners told the architects and builders that if they were to build a plaza around the building, they would be able to add more floors to the building, which would result in a bigger paycheck. This is why almost every building has a plaza, but the question is, why are some plazas crowded while others are not?
The documentary argues that there are several very important elements that assist in answering these questions. These elements include: 1. Sit-able Spaces 2. Streets 3. Sun 4. Food 5. Water 6. Trees 7. Triangulation William H. Whyte goes into much detail about these seven elements in the documentary, and although this documentary was made over thirty years ago, I believe that it is still very relevant today.
An element that Whyte discusses in the documentary is the first element of "sit-able space". Clearly there is enough room for people to inhabit in open spaces, but what people need are not just open spaces, but places to sit comfortably. The documentary says that people are going to sit where there are places to sit. and it argues that there are certain types of seats that invite people to sit down, while there are some that do not. William H. Whyte believes that people need choices when it comes to sitting down. These choices include, adding more benches, ledges, and grass. He also insists that it is not a good idea to put benches in isolated places because people like to be by other people.
Whyte talks about the idea of "friendly congestion". From the observations made, Whyte and his fellow researchers noticed that although there is an abundance of open space, people tend to stay closer to the edges instead of occupying the centers of these spaces. This is dues to the fact that there are more ledges and places to sit by the edges of these open area. Whyte argues that these ledges and seats should be "low and hospitable". Today, many spaces like plazas, create spaces that are not inviting because their planters are too high or their seats are not properly proportionate for a person to sit comfortably. Whyte believes that urban spaces need to be well thought out from the tiniest detail like the width and length of a bench seat, to the bigger details of where to place the bench seat.
Whyte talks about all of these details in his documentary, because they are the details that make a difference between overuse and under-use of urban spaces. The seven elements mentioned above are all important to consider when planning an urban space, and when they are combined they can make a huge difference. In The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces William H. Whyte observes what people do and do not like. Things like having different food options, such as food carts, good lighting, water that people can actually enjoy by sticking their feet in, and different activities that bring people together.
An interesting argument that Whyte makes in his documentary is the impact that certain things have on people's feelings of security and enjoyment. Whyte talks about "odd people" in urban areas. In some plazas and parks there are people performing, roaming around, and doing a variety of activities. In places that are open and inviting, people feel more comfortable with these diverse actions taking place. However, if the place is closed off people start to question their safety, and when odd things are happening, people are more aware and tense.
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is a documentary that uses some humor and good observations to demonstrate what makes an open space in an urban area successful. In open urban places, people like to do a variety of activities and it is the small things such as the water that creates a white noise as a background to people's lives, or what kind of seating arrangements a certain place has. All of the seven elements that Whyte mentions in this documentary are connected to each other. The more elements that an urban space contains, the more people will want to spend time there.
This documentary clearly discusses different factors of urban planning that are needed to create effective spaces for people to enjoy. It takes information that was observed by William H. Whyte and other urban planners and uses this information to help people better understand what it takes to design a productive and effective space in an urban area. I think this is an important documentary because it shares certain information that is helpful to know when planning these spaces. Even though the documentary is slightly dated, it still is relevant in today's world of urban planning.
