i. the social life of small urban spaces a. items to consider while watching the film b. what...

I. The Social Life of Small Urban SpacesA. Items to Consider While Watching the FilmB. What ethical issues arise from Whyte’s filming behaviour occurring in the street? C. Characteristics of best used plazas:D. Design Criteria for PlazasE. Design Criteria for Indoor Spaces

II. Underhill, P. (1999). Why we buy: The science of shopping.III. Consumer Reports (1997)IV. The Mall

A. Contributing Factors to the Modern Day MallB. The Modern Day MallC. Purpose of MallD. How do Malls Accomplish this Goal?E. Crime at MallsF. Future of the Modern Day Mall?

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

• What makes an open place (e.g., plaza, mall, park, etc.) pleasant?

• How do we measure/assess the pleasant qualities of these spaces?

• What view of city life is put forward in this film?• What was the societal impact (in New York City) of

Whyte’s work?


Seagram Building, 375 Park Avenue (52nd to 53rd Streets), designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Phillip Johnson (1958), who won an architectural competition arranged by Phyllis Lambert, architect and daughter of Sam Bronfman.

What building in Toronto did Mies van der Rohe design that is quite similar to Seagram’s?

Seagram Building

Architects:Ludwig Mies van

der Rohe & Phillip Johnson

Built in 1958

Toronto-Dominion Centre

• Mies van der Rohe’s only Canadian building

Paley Park

• Designed by Zion & Breen on the site of the former Stork Club (just off 5th Avenue at 53rd Street)


• What ethical issues arise from Whyte’s filming behaviour occurring in the street? What does the current Canadian Tri-Council Ethics Code state about the filming of behaviour in public?


Characteristics of best used plazas:• Higher proportion of groups rather than solitary

individuals• Greater proportion of female users• Variability over day, week, season• “People are most likely to sit where there are places

to sit”


Design Criteria for Plazas• Movable chairs (benches are less desirable)• Seating area should be approximately 10% of the

total open space• Protection from sun, wind, and noise (use trees and

water)• Availability of food (snack bars, vendors, tables &

chairs)• Related to the street, near the action


Design Criteria for Plazas:• Triangulation: presence of people or things that

induce strangers to talk with each other• Surveillance comes from vendors, newsstands,

building employees.• Dealing with “undesirables”: make the area appeal to

anyone


Design Criteria for Indoor Spaces

(e.g., atria, galleries, courtyards, arcades, concourses, indoor plazas)

• Seating• Food• Retail stores• Public toilets• Presence

Underhill, P. (1999). Why we buy: The science of shopping. New York: Simon & Schuster.

• A fascinating description of Underhill’s company’s (Envirosell) research into consumer behaviour.

• Differences in mark-up (malls vs. supermarkets)• Supermarkets can rent out shelf space• % buying jeans after trying them on:

– Females: 25%– Males: 65%


• Examining price tags:Females: 86%Males: 72%

• “Butt-brush” stops female purchasers

• Importance of adjacencies

• Detection of shoplifters

• Importance of shopping basket distribution

• Right turn bias of North American shoppers


• Mean shopping times in a national housewares chain store (USA):

Women with women 8 min. 15 secs.Women with children 7 min. 19 secs.Women alone 5 min. 2 secs.Women with men 4 min. 41 secs.

• How could you increase women’s shopping times for women accompanied by males?

Consumer Reports (1997)

The bakery and floral sections are usually the first departments you encounter – because of the scents.

Along with the deli and produce sections, they are also considered the “image” departments.


High traffic areas are put in the back of the store, so that you must pass through more profitable departments to reach them.


Cartons of merchandise in the aisles slow down shoppers, and create a warehouse aura of bargain pricing.


Children’s cereals are put low to the ground, where children can see them.

Lower shelves are less noticed by shoppers. Thus, non-impulse items are put on these lower shelves, and impulse items are put in more conspicuous locations.


The endcap is the head or foot of an aisle. Putting merchandise on the endcap can double or triple sales.

This is used to sell off merchandise nearing the end of its shelf life.

Adjacent related items are often not on sale.

The Mall

• Contributing Factors to the Modern Day Mall

– Postwar economic prosperity (and the automobile)• Television commercials

– Postwar threat of nuclear war– Protection from heat and cold

The Mall

• The Modern Day Mall– Plays very central role in our lives.– 70 - 80% of Americans attend a large enclosed mall at

least once a month.– Over 90% of Americans have been to a mall in the last

6 months.– For teens: part time work, socializing– For seniors: avoid loneliness, healthcare, convenience– For families: combine shopping and social activities– The mall has become the new Main Street– For communities: venue for events (e.g., blood drives,

art fairs, community orchestras)

The Mall

• Purpose of Mall: To capture customers– Malls are responsible for more than 50% of

American retail sales.

• How do Malls Accomplish this Goal?– Malls are timeless.– Malls are placeless.– Several design techniques.

The Mall

• Design Techniques– Best shops near centre court. Most exclusive stores

(e.g., Holt Renfrew, Birk’s) are on second floor above centre court.

– Landscaping provides relaxing tropical oasis.– Just inside entrances are “destination” shops.– Free parking.– No outside windows (timeless & placeless).– Food court serves fatty & sugary foods. Low comfort

level. – Stores near food court attract attention. Often sell

inexpensive impulse items (e.g., gifts, lottery tickets).

The Mall

• Crime at Malls– Primarily purse snatching, shoplifting, vandalism,

and car theft.– Also drug pushing, kidnapping, rape, and murder.

• Future of the Modern Day Mall?– Are big box stores the wave of the future or a

sudden fad?

i. the social life of small urban spaces a. items to consider while watching the film b. what...

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