LARCH 060

Thursday April 15th, 1999
Announcements: There is an option of taking the final exam on Friday April 30th at 6:45 in 115 E.E. West.

The regular final exam is Tuesday May 4th at 10:10 in 121 Sparks

Lecture notes:

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AS ANALYSIS, PROCESS:

• The movement was to study people in an analytic way

RANDY HESTER:

• Believed that landscape architect is a facilitator....believed in design by people, not by designers. People living in the community come up with design ideas and architects would facilitate them (called it community participation)
• He was also a teacher at Penn State
• Believed that landscape architects did not have all of the information that the people had, and the people know where their interests lie better than any designer could
• Example) Monteo, North Carolina: small, vital community planned by Hester, he talked with the residents and discovered what they believed to be sacred. People were involved with the building of the town which included a waterfront park. Hester brought a few tourists into the community such as artists, etc....

SMALL URBAN AREAS - FILM:

• This film is a result of 10 years of sudy of the behavior of people in different urban areas ( focus on urban plazas) from 1970-1980. Produced by William Whyte

Questions:

• Why study city spaces? Studying city spaces created a more successful and culturally pleasing city where people can interact with each other
• What is the favorite activity of people in city plazas? Watching other people
• What contributes to the success and failures of city spaces? Comfortable and social spaces contribute to the success and under use of these spaces contributes to the failure
• What are Whyte's necessary "elements" for a successful urban space? Whyte uses sittable places-- people usually sit where there are places to sit, in every 30 feet of open space there should be at least a foot of sitting space with benches, steps, ledges, grass, planters, etc...Whyte also uses sunlight in which the best is the light reflecting off buildings. Trees are used because people feel sheltered by sitting under them. Streets are easily accessible and seen. Fences separating the street and the spaces are BAD because of their feeling of enclosure. Whyte uses vendors and cafes with food because they attract people, they create a meeting place and allow people to interact and meet new people. Triangulation--means having a focus of attention in which people react to, which makes them then interact with each other. (Example: sculptures outside, performers in the street, vendors)