PLANNING PUBLIC SPACES

Transcription

1 PLANNING PUBLIC SPACES 34:970:651, SECTION H6:91901 Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey Summer 2005 Jeremy Németh Civic Square Building (732) Room 170 Office Hours: To be arranged TTH 6:00-9:45pm Course Description This seminar course will attempt to explore the following question: What are the implications on physical space planning in an increasingly diverse society? In recent years, urban public spaces have become sites of conflict and controversy among city planners, policymakers and citizens. Students will develop an understanding of the various factors influencing public space planning such as privatization, corporate interests and urban design standards, while tackling difficult but topical issues of discrimination, the homeless, and urban social movements. As such, the course will focus predominantly on solving problems associated with the provision, design and management of public spaces. Site visits planned. 3.0 credits, No prerequisites required. Course Materials BOOKS: (can be borrowed from library or purchased used online - abe.com, amazon.com, half.com) Duneier, M Sidewalk. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Jacobs, J The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books. Ch Kohn, M Brave New Neighborhoods: The Privatization of. New York: Routledge. Sorkin, M. (Ed.) Variations on a Theme Park: The New American City and the End of Public Space. New York: Hill and Wang. Choose any five (5) chapters only. ARTICLES: (all provided by instructor) Banerjee, T The Future of : Beyond Invented Streets and Reinvented Places, Journal of the American Planning Association 67(1): Ellickson, R "Controlling Chronic Misconduct in City Spaces: Of Panhandlers, Skid Rows, and Zoning, in N. Blomley, D. Delaney and R. Ford (Eds.) The Legal Geographies Reader. Oxford: Blackwell, pp Fyfe, N. and Bannister, J "The Eyes Upon the Street: Closed-Circuit Television Surveillance and the City," in N. Fyfe, (Ed.) Images of the Street: Planning, Identity and Control in Public Space. New York: Routledge, pp Garvin, A The American City: What Works, What Doesn t. New York: McGraw-Hill. Ch. 3, 16. Katz, C Excerpt from "Hiding the Target: Social Reproduction in the Privatized Urban Environment, "in C. Minca, (Ed.) Postmodern Geography: Theory and Praxis. Oxford: Blackwell, pp Kayden, J., New York City Department of City Planning and the Municipal Art Society of New York Privately Owned : The New York City Experience. New York, John Wiley and Sons. (Used only as a reference from which to choose sites in NYC). 1

2 Kayden, J Using and Misusing Law to Design the Public Realm, in E. Ben-Joseph and T. Szold (Eds.) Regulating Place: Standards and the Shaping of Urban America. New York: Routledge, pp Lofland, L Urbanity, Tolerance and, in Deben et al. (Eds.) Understanding Amsterdam: Economic Vitality, City Life and Urban Form. Het Spinhuis, pp Loukaitou-Sideris, A., Blumenberg, E. and Ehrenfeucht, R Sidewalk Democracy: Municipalities and the Regulation of, in E. Ben-Joseph and T. Szold (Eds.) Regulating Place: Standards and the Shaping of Urban America. New York: Routledge, pp Loukaitou-Sideris, A. and Banerjee, T Urban Design Downtown: Poetics and Politics of Form. Berkeley: University of California Press, Ch. 4, 10. MacDonald, H San Francisco Gets Tough with the Homeless, City Journal (Autumn). MacDonald, H BIDs Really Work, City Journal (Spring). MacDonald, H BIDing Adieu, City Journal (Autumn). MacDonald, H Holiday Homelessness Hype, City Journal (December). Mitchell, D "The End of? People s Park, Definitions of the Public, and Democracy," Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 85: Mitchell, D "The Annihilation of Space by Law: The Roots and Implications of Anti-homeless Laws in the United States," in N. Blomley, D. Delaney and R. Ford (Eds.) The Legal Geographies Reader. Oxford: Blackwell, pp Mitchell, D "The Liberalization of Free Speech: Or How Protest is Silenced in," Stanford Agora, September, pp Morin, R A Crack in the Broken-Windows Theory, Washington Post, 30 January, p. B05. Mumford, L (1937). What is a City?, in LeGates, R. and Stout, F. (Eds.) The City Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge, pp Németh, J Redefining Security in : The Case of LOVE Park, IEEE Technology and Society, Vol. 23, No. 4, (Fall): Newman, O Creating Defensible Space: Crime Prevention through Urban Design. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Policy Development and Research. [Available online at: Download parts that seem important and/or interesting]. Olmsted, F. L (1870). Public Parks and the Enlargement of Towns, in LeGates, R. and Stout, F. (Eds.) The City Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge, pp Pain, R Gender, Race, Age and Fear in the City, Urban Studies, No. 5-6, pp Smithsimon, M Private Lives, s: The Surveillance State, Dissent (Winter), pp Town, S. and O Toole, R Crime-Friendly Neighborhoods: How New Urbanist Planners Sacrifice Safety in the Name of Openness and Accessibility, ReasonOnline (February). Whyte, W (1988). The Design of Spaces, in LeGates, R. and Stout, F. (Eds.) The City Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge, pp Wilson, J.Q. and Kelling, G (1982). "Broken Windows," in LeGates, R. and Stout, F. (Eds.) The City Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge, pp With rebuttal by the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), Reason Mag s Bad Crime Tip. Zukin, S (1995). Whose Culture? Whose City?" in in LeGates, R. and Stout, F. (Eds.) The City Reader, Second Edition. New York: Routledge, pp

3 WEBSITES / VISUAL MEDIA: 411 Productions, Inc Love Story: The Story of a Skate Landmark [videorecording], ONVideo Magazine, Winter Archi-treasures Website, [ Defensible Space Website, [ Metropolitan Design Center Website, [ NYCLU Surveillance Camera Project, [ and [ Place Matters Website, [ Planners Network Listservs, follow links at: [ Project for s Website, [ Project for s Making Places Newsletter, subscribe at: [ several other great listservs at: [ Research on Space and Place Website, [ Urbanology Website, [ Urban Space Public Art Website, [ Whyte, W. and Municipal Art Society of New York The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces [videorecording]. Student Requirements Participate in class discussions. Prepare for each class by completing all reading assignments before class. Lead class discussion of readings once during semester. Complete two response papers to reading during semester (2-3 pages each). Grade Distribution Class Participation & Attendance 20% Lead Discussion 10% Response Papers (2 papers) 10% Group Project 20% Final Paper 30% Final Presentation 10% Important Deadlines Great Spaces Presentation July 14 Final Paper Proposal July 26 Group Project Presentation August 2 Response Papers (2) August 16 Final Paper August 16 Final Paper Presentation August 16 Description of Assignments Class Participation Attendance and active participation is very important, as I will not be lecturing very often. Part of this grade is your great/poor public space presentation. Lead Discussion Guide discussion of readings once during semester. Response Papers Each student will turn in two response papers (2-3 pages) to the readings assigned for that day. The papers will briefly summarize the readings, then will include an analysis of the readings. Some questions to consider (but please explore others!): What are the authors trying to say? Do you agree or disagree with these authors arguments? Why are these articles important? How does the point of view of this author similar/different from what other authors say? 3

4 The papers will be due on the day that the readings are discussed. Bring two copies of your paper to class turn in one and keep one for your reference during class. The third paper is due by August 16 th. Group Project The class will split into two groups, and will map out the public and semi-public spaces in an area of New Brunswick or another city of your choice (must be agreed upon with instructor). Groups will present results with photos, maps, and 5- to 7-page written analysis of the public and semi-public spaces in their chosen area. Groups should give as much information possible about each space, including the year built, the approximate size, the owner, the rules governing the use of each space, etc. Besides a description of each space and each network of spaces, the paper should provide a short section on recommendations for future development in the area. We will discuss this project in greater detail as the course goes on. Final Paper This will be an individual project involving an ethnographic study of one particular public space in Manhattan (although one could choose a particular stretch of blocks). One student should choose Washington Square Park and the current controversy surrounding the redesign of the park. The final paper should be at least 12 to 15 pages (including photos, diagrams, etc.) and should include substantial discussion of the way people use each space. Papers should discuss: circulation, what works/what doesn t, publicness/privateness, who uses the space, how design structures interaction, rules governing each space, etc. Students should spend time in their space, interview users, and visually (or otherwise) document each space by using photos, sound recordings, videos, or other media. Once again, recommendations for alterations related to design or management should be a major part of this exercise. Additionally, the papers should refer to the readings completed during the semester. Results will be presented on August 16. Final Paper Presentation Present your paper (around 20 minutes) using Powerpoint, overheads, or other visual aids. Your presentation should be lively and interesting, and should hold our attention throughout. Be creative! Writing Guidelines Use a style manual. Whichever manual you use, be consistent throughout the paper. Some typical choices might be Chicago Manual of Style, APA Guidelines, etc. Follow format conventions: 11/12 point font, one inch margins, page numbers, and doublespacing of lines. Avoid run-on sentences and sweeping generalizations; always run spell check. Always include an alphabetized bibliography. Use an appropriate citation system. For the social sciences, the most commonly used is the author-date format: (Author Year, Page Number) or (Author Year)--if no page number is appropriate. For example: All students must use citations carefully (Smith 2000, 56). Note that the period follows the parentheses. The details of citation are important, but most important is that you behave honorably and credit work that is not your own. If a quotation is more than 3 lines, use a block quotation format. Avoid contractions and informal language; use action verbs rather than passive verbs. Assignments and Schedule All readings on the following page come from the required texts or will be handed out to you. VERY IMPORTANT: The readings should be completed BEFORE the class under which it is listed. 4

5 Week 1: General Introduction Week 2: Management Week 3: Provision Week 4: Design/Policing Week 5: Theory: Big Picture Week 6: Final Presentations WEEKLY SCHEDULE DATE TOPICS READINGS ASSIGNMENTS DUE - Course overview - Themes matter? - Urban planning - Readings July 12 - Does public space None None July 14 July 19 July 21 Friday, July 22 July 26 July 28 August 2 August 4 August 9 August 11 August 16 - Great public spaces - What works, what doesn t, and why? - Provision, design, management - Public space problems - The unhoused - Disorder and nuisance - Public-private partnerships - Management types - Legal statutes - Garvin, Ch. 3 - Mumford - Olmsted - Lofland - Mitchell Mitchell Ellickson - Loukaitou-Sideris Duneier book - Katz - MacDonald 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002 Nominate several great/poor public spaces. Present to class. SITE VISIT TO BRYANT PARK w/ DAN BIEDERMAN IN 12:00pm. - Formal vs. informal spaces - Zoning - Public vs. private space - Privatization and consumption - Security and control - Surveillance - Policing - Various meta-theories - History - Location VIDEO: Social Life of Small Urban Spaces - Broken windows - Policing - Social justice - Conflicts - Inclusion and exclusion VIDEO: LOVE Story Presentations on NYC Space Project - Garvin Ch Kohn book - Kayden Fyfe and Bannister - Banerjee - Loukaitou-Sideris and Banerjee, Ch. 4 - Jacobs, Ch Whyte - Newman - Loukaitou-Sideris and Banerjee, Ch Smithsimon - Wilson & Kelling - Morin - Town and O Toole - Pain - Németh - Sorkin book, choose any five (5) chapters NO CLASS - Mitchell Zukin Final paper proposals Group project presentations Papers / Presentations; Final response paper 5