Place Preferences on Campus: Building Community Through Design

Lisa K. Waxman, Ph.D.Florida State University

My Interests Place Making How Place Contributes to Community Design Attributes that Foster Place & Community

This Presentation

Theories Related to Place

Third Places Research Related to

Place Design Considerations

– Social Considerations– Design Considerations

The College Campus Very much about place- physical and social

– Place Attachment The bonding of people to place

– Transformative Time– Memory Making

Factors Impacting The College Experience

– High quality teaching– Services (library & computer labs)– Relationships-Impact Loyalty

St. John, New Brunswick, Canada

Building Community & Social Capital

Simply stated, ”social networks have value”

“The connections among individuals—social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them” (Putnam, 2000)

Designing for Community

Jane Jacobs in The Death and Life of Great American Cities “When cities are configured to

maximize informal contacts among neighbors, the streets are safer, children are better taken car of, and people are happier with their surroundings.”

Universities are essentially small cities

Crisis in Community on Campuses?

Rising Crime Rates Sexual Harassment Ethnic and Racial Hostilities Property Damage

Substance Abuse Apathy Decline in Civility

(Carnegie Foundation)

Bring Students Together

“Colleges need to revitalize their learning community, bringing persons of all kinds together more often…and increase learning outside the classroom.” (Oldenburg, 1997)

Designing for Community?

Friendship Formation Group Membership

Proximity is Key!– Designers impact

community

Learning Contexts

1. Classroom- often gets attention 2. Private Reflection 3. Places for Conversation –often overlooked

Conversation Most colleges neglect to plan adequately for informal

discussions, or hangouts, or gathering places on campus (Oldenburg, 1997)

Creating Hangouts Leaders in Higher Ed should include spaces that provide

opportunities for talk among students—places for them to hang out.

Third PlacesThe Third place is a “setting beyond home and work …a place

in which people relax in good company and do so on a regular basis.”

Third Places

Our First Place: Home Our Second Place: Work Our Third Place

– In the intervals before, between, and after their mandatory appearances elsewhere

On Neutral Ground

Must be neutral ground to come together

May easily join & depart one another’s company

No one is required to play host

Photo: Borders, Tallahassee, FL

The Third Place as a Leveler

An inclusive place Settings where everyone is

accepted as an equal

Conversation is the Main Activity

The talk is good The music is not so loud

that you can’t hear conversation

Photo: Black Dog Community Coffee House, Tallahassee, FL

Accessibility and Accommodations

Keep long hours You may go there

alone and feel certain acquaintances will be there

Location is convenient

The Regulars

The “regulars” give the place character

Set the tone of conviviality

Third Place for Anubhuti Bhatia, India

Low Profile

Usually not advertised Not elegant May not impress the

uninitiated Usually not

constructed as such

Photo: Black Dog Community Coffee House, Tallahassee, FL

The Mood is Playful

Joy and acceptance reign over anxiety and alienation

Urge to return, to recreate, and recapture the experience

Photo: Black Dog Community Coffee House, Tallahassee, FL

Home Away from Home

Homelike May even compete

with home Sometimes even

more homelike than home

Home “roots” us, but so may the third place

Photo: Carla Reid, Owner,

Black Dog Community Coffee House

Related Research

Research QuestionsWhere do college students prefer to spend their free time and what design features enhance these place experiences and encourage opportunities for connection to community?

– Where do college students gather (other than class, work and home) and develop informal social contacts?

– Where are the opportunities for friendship formation?– What causes students to development feelings of connection

and attachment to a place?– How can the built environment support opportunities for

connecting?

Findings- Top 12 Choices

Beach/Lake 23% Gym 14% Coffee Shop 13% Restaurant 8% Greek House 7% Bar 6% Mall/Retail Space 6% Park/Gardens 5% Religious Place 4% Car 3% Pool 3% Other 6%

*Study took place in Florida n=362

Primary Reasons for Going

Socialize 36% Relax/Rejuvenate 29% Enjoy Food & Drink 15% Escape/Time Alone 8% Study/Read 6% Exercise 3% Other 3%

On Campus vs. Off Campus

84% - Off Campus 16% - On Campus

(Similar to findings by Waxman, Clemons, Banning, and McKelfresh which showed 80% of Colorado State students found third places off-campus)

Providence College

Frequency of Visit

Every Day 24% More Than 1X Per Week 23% Once Per Week 23%

Total Visiting at Least Once Per Week 70%

Inside vs. Outside

Outdoor 31% Inside 69%

Social and Physical Factors

Opportunity to Linger

Opportunity to linger is key to success of many places

“Campers”

Ownership

“We always play pool in the back corner, which has a half wall partition from the rest of the pool tables. I guess that space has become our territory whenever we’re there.”

Territoriality

Establishing a Territory

Sociability

Socialized with both old and new friends.

University of Queensland, Australia

Regulars

Our Place…the ability to see the same people

Alone or in Groups

OK to go alone– Surrounded by peers– People watch

Yet, also works for groups– Structured or

Unstructured

“Even if I go alone, I never feel alone once I get there”

"You can openly converse with someone or you can keep to yourself with no pressure

to talk to anyone"

Familiar Strangers

Familiar strangers, those people who they see regularly, but only know by face.

Feelings of mutual knowing

Feelings of Connectedness Among Familiar Strangers

“I usually come alone; I will visit with the staff for a little while, so I don’t really feel alone once I get here. I socialize some and that makes the place special: I live alone and I always see someone here…”

“Sadly, I tent not to be very social [but] I enjoy seeing the same people every day”

“It’s the whole idea that I’ve left my apartment and come to a new place that refreshes me.”

Feeling Productive

“I usually regroup, you know, get my to-do list cleared. I use this space sort of as a transition space; Like, I’m about to really start on my homework now…I can go here, hang out for a while, make my little list, my plan of attack and then chill out before I get going”

“This place brings out the best in me.” University of Saskatchewan

Need Relax and RejuvenateOver one-third of entering college students

reported feeling frequently overwhelmed. (Keup & Stolzenberg, 2004)

The American College Health Association (2005) reports the greatest impediment to academic performance was reported by the students to be stress.

Students appear to be looking for a place to find relaxation and restoration, which often

includes people watching, meeting with friends and finding quiet time.

Trust, Respect, & Support“The place supports my needs”

“It’s all about trust- you have to know that they care about you and that it is a safe place”

Community

“It is definitely a community- it is very much like a home”

“I feel very connected to this place”

“Civilized communities are places to be longed for and to come home to. In civilized communities, every person assumes part of the responsibility for life

there” (Stumpf, 1998)

Ohio StateLibrary

Design Guidelines for Student Hangouts

Provide Seats That Provide Prospect & Refuge

Variety of seating types-light enough to move

Square Tables encourage grouping

Design Guidelines cont…

Background Music that allows conversation

Design Guidelines cont…

View to Outside View to other areas of

space to allow people watching

View of entry to see who comes in

Design Guidelines cont…

Warm Colors Schemes Outside Seating too Good Light for Reading Wireless Internet

Design Guidelines- Favorite Seats

Near Windows

“Sheltered by” or “Anchored to” an Architectural Feature– Providing protection

Often Maximizes View of Space and People

Comfortable Seating Preferred

OverviewStudents need places to socialize and enjoy the company of

other students.

They need places where they be surrounded by others, even if they do not verbally interact

They also need places to relax and restore their energy and be rejuvenated.

Thoughtful design, that enhances our attachment to places and community, must include provisions

for connecting with people.

“Place root us—to the earth, to our history and memories, to our families and larger community” (Cooper-Marcus)

…and Places root us to the university