Outdoor spaces and activities in urban design
Date
2016
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AESOP
Abstract
Over past decades, as cities have needed to develop or expand rapidly and automobiles have become increasingly popular, citizens’ lifestyles have changed considerably. Gehl (2011) indicates that residents are cities’ most important aspect but many architects, designers and planners have ignored the human dimension in today’s city functions. Cities have been created from an aerial view rather than considering human contact and social interaction. Furthermore, according to Gehl’s (2011) observations and investigations citizens and people’s activities are the best objects of interest and attention rather than buildings in same space. He illustrates that “even the modest form of contact of merely seeing and hearing or being near to others is apparently more rewarding and more in demand than the majority of other attractions offered in the public spaces of cities and residential areas.” Jacobs (1961) also stated that architects and planners should consider the residents who move to the public spaces, to improve their quality of life through contact and outdoor spaces such as street activities. Therefore, urban designers should focus on understanding human scale in small places because life between and in buildings is more important than the buildings and spaces themselves.
Description
Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the south
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