Public spaces are a vital ingredient of every city. But, what makes a great public space?

What
is it that makes these spaces more comfortable, both psychologically and physiologically, for
some people more than others?

This paper explores the possibility of making urban spaces fruitfull and delivering its potential
in terms of several factors. These factors has been taken from the studies of many urban
designer’s points of view on the same.

1.ORGANICNESS
Christopher Alexander, A New Theory of Urban Design, 1987
Alexander suggests there is a strong correlation between intensity of wholeness and
historical development incrementality. Thus, assessing a place’s degree of wholeness is as
simple as measuring how incrementally it has developed.
2. INTEGRATION
Bill Hillier, The Social Logic of Space, 1984
Hillier believes that we can understand a society’s culture simply by examining the way they
order their built environment. And, likewise, understanding a society’s culture helps clarify its
architecture and urbanity.

3. The serial vision

Gordon Cullen, The Concise Townscape, 1961
Cullen’s tool to measure a city’s dramatic effect involves measuring a traveler’s “serial vision”
as he/she passes through it. Documenting the city’s scenes becomes storyboarding its drama.
Images are made at the threshold of each new view, enabling an assessment of individual
dramatic potential. Chronologically juxtaposing the images enables an assessment of the
overall experience’s dramatic coherence.
4.Eyes on the street
Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961
Public urban spaces should promote and support natural surveillance by avoiding visual
obstructions and hiding articulations that create blind spots pedestrians might fear passing.
Additionally, e buildings should orient themselves towards the street so their occupants are
architecturally compelled to observe the outdoors and thereby keep an eye on what’s
happening:
5.MEMORABILITY

Kevin Lynch, The Image of the City, 1960

Focuses on the concept of Imageability and Legibility.

In Lynch’s view, image can be explained as “a picture especially in the mind”, a sentimental
combination between objective city image and subjective human thoughts. The productions
of environment images are influenced by a two-way process between the observer and the
observed.

MULTIPLICITY
Margaret Crawford, Everyday Urbanism, 1999

multiplicity of simultaneous public activities that are continually redefining both ‘public’ and ‘space’
through lived experience.

Multiplicity can describe a far broader set of phenomena incited by actors as varied as
skateboarders, homeless people, joggers, performers, protesters, animals, and so on seemingly ad
infinitum.

SOFT EDGES
Jan Gehl, Life Between Buildings, 1980
concept of “soft edges” involves providing certain architectural layers and complexities that enable
certain types of activities, leading to a desirably active and rich urban environment and society.

“Soft edges” are what really foster public-realm occupation and interaction.

SITTABILITY
William Whyte, The Social Life of Small Public Spaces, 1980
William Whyte developed strategies for evaluating and improving such interactivity-enabling
infrastructure.