Urban Public Space Design Research Articles

Real-Time Visibility Assessment in an Interactive Immersive Virtual Reality Application for Urban Public Space Design

Abstract. The design of urban public spaces (UPSs) aims to facilitate users’ physical and mental well-being by facilitating dynamic and stationary activities. The success of a UPS is often measured by its users’ engagement and experiences. However, UPSs frequently exhibit varying usage patterns, with some areas being heavily frequented and others neglected. This discrepancy is often due to users’ perceptions of safety, comfort, and liveliness. Failure to anticipate and address these aspects during the design phase of UPSs can result in dysfunctional urban spaces that fail to meet users’ needs. People experience UPSs primarily through their senses, with vision being the predominant sense and key to spatial cognition in UPSs. Therefore, adequate visibility of the spatial configuration must be integral to UPS design as a design goal. As a result of recent advances in Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) end-users can participate in, interact and experience the possible UPS design scenarios, however, most IVR applications do not provide real-time feedback for design goals such as visibility. Established methods exist for analyzing visibility in UPS. However, these techniques are not usually integrated into VR apps to assess the effects of the designs. This paper addresses the gap for the lack of real-time visibility feedback within IVR applications for UPS design and its technical challenge. Building on a previous IVR application, CoHeSIVE, which was developed for UPS design, we integrated a ray-casting method and Unity’s built-in callbacks for dynamic visibility assessment of the features within the user’s field of view. The visibility assessment is then presented on a dashboard within the IVR app. This study serves as a cornerstone for future real-time feedback mechanisms of visibility assessment within IVR applications for urban design, facilitating informed design decisions.

Comparison of emotional responses between young and elderly individuals under different sound source conditions

In the paper, four types of sound sources were selected, including animal sounds, human behavior sounds, natural sounds, and machine sounds. Each type of sound source contains eight types of sound sources. Six discrete emotions with anger, happiness, sadness, disgust, surprise, and fear are evaluated by young and elderly people through listening and questionnaire surveys under these sound source conditions. The results showed that machine sounds are more likely to cause emotions of anger and disgust, Natural sounds are more likely to trigger feelings of joy, sadness, surprise, or fear. Most of the six basic emotions are correlated with each other. In terms of the difference in evaluation between young and elderly people, most emotional response trends and degrees to various sound sources between young and elderly people are similar basically, but there are some sound sources that are obviously more likely to trigger related emotional reactions in young people, and less likely to trigger emotional reactions in elderly people. It provides a certain experimental reference basis for the sound environment design of urban public spaces.

Theory Research on Visual Communication Design of Urban Public Space under the Concept of Social Design

Through observation and analysis of modern urban public spaces, we can find that design is not only a combination of appearance and functionality, but also a profound understanding and response to society, culture, and the environment. The social design concept emphasizes the principle of people-oriented design, pursuing the inclusiveness, interactivity, and sustainability of public spaces, and shaping the identity and shared experience of urban spaces through visual language and symbol systems. This article will explore how to implement the concept of social design in visual communication design, and explore its impact on the quality of life, social cohesion, and urban image of urban residents. The ultimate goal is to provide practical guidance and inspiration for urban planners, designers, and decision-makers, promoting sustainable development of public spaces and social harmony.

Role of public transport in supporting the urban cultural and creative functions

In our three-year project, the team set the final goal as a proposal for future cities and public transportation linkages in the context of cultural and creative activities in cities. As the project leader, the author first introduces a basic discussion of cities and urban public transport modes, followed by an analysis of subjective accessibility related to well-being. Second, the author introduces field surveys in New York, London, and Wien as advanced cities with excellent cultural and creative activities, as well as Toyama City in Japan, where the importance of public space redesign related to quality public transport in conjunction with cultural and creative activities is identified. Finally, the author summarizes the conclusion of the research project, including the proposal as “Yoin City” (city or district where aftertaste of any cultural and creative activities is highly respected mainly with excellent design of urban public spaces and public transport services) with “new local” concept primarily for middle-sized cities in Japan.

Research on the Application and Development of Digital Media Art in Urban Public Space Design

Digital media art is an emerging art form that combines digital technology and media art. It has huge potential to bring innovation to urban public spaces and provide them with vibrant artistic experiences. This article analyzes the design significance and value of digital media art in urban public space, its various forms of application in urban public space design, and the innovative ideas and paths that digital media art can take in urban public space to guide the future. The application and innovative methods of digital media art in urban public space design provide certain theoretical and practical references for urban planners and designers.

EXPLORING URBAN STREETSCAPE DESIGN: COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

The purpose: to analyse and synthesize research on urban street space and the evolution of urban streetscape design concepts, tracing their origins, development, classifications, and design practices.
 Methodology. The study conducts a historical and theoretical review of scientific and literary sources, employing methods of analysis, systematization, classification, and summarization of the obtained results.
 Results. Classical theories of designing public spaces, as well as the development of concepts related to spatial perception and a human-centric approach in design, have been examined and analysed. The interaction of these theories with big data and artificial intelligence in the research and design of urban public spaces has been identified, revealing that such collaboration accelerates the emergence of cutting-edge theoretical and practical innovations.
 Scientific novelty. Based on the analysis conducted, three main research directions in street space are identified and systematized: macro-level research, micro-level research, and research in urban design practices.
 Practical significance: The results of this research establish theoretical foundations and outline directions for the future development of studies in the field of street space design. They can be utilized by architects and urban designers in the process of planning and design.

Designing for possibility in public space: affordance, assemblage, and ANT

The design of urban public space is inherently problematic because the range of its possible uses and meanings is broad and unpredictable. This paper engages this problematic through the lens of Gibson’s theory of ‘affordances’—the ways the material world affords for human desires. We first explore some conceptual and methodological problems of the theory of affordances and its application in understanding and designing public space. These dimensions of affordance theory are then reconceived using the relational thinking of assemblage and actor-network theory (ANT). A key contribution of the paper is an expanded typology of affordances which includes improvised and serendipitous affordances that extend beyond the intentions of designers and users. This opens new ways of thinking about the design of urban public space as a space of possibility where outcomes are open, multiple, and unpredictable. The paper suggests how urban spaces can be shaped to better support rich cultural diversity and social inclusion.

Research on Full-Age Public Space Design in High-Density Cities

Abstract The concept of “full-age” urban public spaces is a critical aspect of modern urbanization, enhancing the multifunctionality of contemporary urban public spaces. This paper examines the design of urban public spaces using “Little Island at Park 55 in New York” as a case study. It delves into three key aspects: spatial intensive utilization, functional agglomeration, and landscape aggregation design. By thoroughly interpreting the original topography of the island space and employing classical Chinese garden techniques, particularly “scenery supporting,” this study analyzes the design evolution and core principles of the case. It summarizes the case’s value and underscores the significance and necessity of all-age inclusive design in modern urban public spaces.

ASSESSMENT OF THERMAL COMFORT IN URBAN PUBLIC SPACE IN A TROPICAL CITY: A STUDY OF RAJSHAHI, BANGLADESH

Sustainable design approaches reduce energy consumption of urban form and the environment. Urban public space design is an efficient sustainable strategy to improve thermal and microclimatic conditions of outdoor spaces. A tropical city like Rajshahi, Bangladesh, an example of a rapid urbanization, is now dealing with the challenge of sustainable urban development, especially in the urban public space where thermal comfort makes a vital role for active to use of outdoor space in the various time. People’s activities and usages of outdoor space particularly urban public place which is the most viable and sustainable features of urban design is directly affected by thermal setting and thus affect people’s activities. This research aims to calculate the thermal comfort indices to find out the comfort condition of the urban public space by using a CFD based simulation software “ENVI-Met”. Online sources are used to collect site specific microclimatic data for thermal comfort. Data is then synthesized to find out MRT and thermal comfort condition. The aim is to develop and recommend a checklist of comfortable urban form and potential design and materials features to investigate the scope of improvement of outdoor thermal comfort of urban public space of study area. Both the physical (height width ratio of urban form, vegetation, water features, orientation, materials) has strong impact on improving thermal comfort and activities. This research suggests some urban design options for an effective and comfortable outdoor space in the context of tropical city like Rajshahi in the end.

The application of regional culture in urban public space design

The application of regional culture in urban public space design

Urban Semantics through Law and Photography

The visual design of urban public spaces (hereinafter “cityscape”) has an important impact on city life – it can channel interpersonal communication into certain directions while excluding others; it can powerfully communicate notions of what is socially acceptable or important. Yet, while everyone may access urban public spaces, cityscapes are designed by a very limited social group. This paper focuses on the narratives embedded in the cityscapes. Analyzing legal conflicts arising around expressions that seek their way into the shared visual environment, as well as expressions whose presence in the cityscapes is disputed, we trace the dynamics of battles over urban narratives. The discussion of legal rules is complemented by photographs. Rather than illustrating the text, the photographs will relate to the discussed topics in their own way, enriching the discussion and broadening its perspective.

Urban Complex Public Space Design Method Based on Support Vector Machine

Urban commercial complex is the product of social and economic development, as well as the inevitable trend of commercial development. The public space design of urban complex project is an important link in its development process, which is the link between the contact and the building, the city and the building, and the external image display of the complex. Therefore, choosing a suitable and excellent public space design scheme is of great significance to show the superiority of the complex project and improve the project satisfaction and the sustainable operation in the later stage. This paper first defines the concept of urban complex public space and focuses on the analysis of the urban complex public space from four aspects of constituent elements, functional classification, design theory, and principle. Then, the Delphi method is used to determine 26 evaluation indicators to evaluate the urban complex public space design scheme, and the relevant index data of 20 urban complex public space design schemes are collected. The grey correlation analysis method is used to analyze the correlation degree between each indicator and the scheme winning bid. The final evaluation system of urban complex public space design scheme is obtained after removing the 8 indicators with low correlation degree. Support vector mechanism was used to build the optimization model of urban complex public space design scheme, and its accuracy was verified, which provides a relatively simple and quantitative method for urban public space design in the future, helps to improve the city’s business structure, improves the business environment of the city, makes the commercial complex more effectively play its own characteristics and advantages, effectively stimulates the vitality of urban space, and creates more perfect architectural space and urban space for people.

The inability of Turkey and Istanbul in institutionalisation of children's participation in urban planning: A policy analysis study

AbstractChildren's participation in the decision‐making and design of urban public spaces is crucial for achieving inclusive cities. International covenants have recognized the importance of participation as a right. Having adhered to these agreements, Turkey is obliged to enable children's participation in all public matters that concern them, including shaping urban spaces. This paper analyses national and local legislation in Turkey and Istanbul to distil how children's right to participate is legislated and institutionalised. It shows that lack of integrated child‐responsive legislation, accounting for children's individuality, and lack of collaboration between national and local governments are the root of the problem.

Adaptation of Physical Setting to the Appearance of the Jiung Night Market at Public Open Space in Jakarta

Jiung is an informal market growing in public open spaces in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Indonesia. It consists of a row of non-permanent stalls and is also observed to be surrounding the densely populated settlements and four main Streets which are the Benyamin Sueb, Haji Ung, Kemayoran Gempol, and Bendungan Jago. Most of the traders come from the settlements behind the row of the market stalls and sell from morning to night except for those on the Kemayoran Gempol Street section, who are allowed to only trade up to late afternoon when traders with tents on the Street resume. These trading activities, however, lead to the closure of the Kemayoran Gempol Street and the tents used in the night market also cover the stalls of the Jiung Market merchant. Meanwhile, this market is acceptable to the residents and also the traders due to the long time existence of the Night Market activities in the place. There is, therefore, the need to understand the adaptation process to be implemented for the night market traders to be acceptable using the qualitative approach. It was discovered that a mutually beneficial relationship is the main reason the Night Market has survived up to the present moment. Moreover, the market was also found to have influenced the distribution of traders in several locations around the area but it is possible to inhibit the distribution growth through an architectural approach as a contribution towards the planning and design of urban public spaces in the country.

The long-term implications of mega-event projects for urban public spaces

An emerging theme within the mega-events literature is the ways they affect the provision, regulation and design of urban public spaces. Parks, streets and squares host competition venues, and are also used for supplementary occasions and facilities associated with hosting mega-events. Using examples from the London 2012 Olympic Games and Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, this paper examines the long-term significance of mega-events for urban public spaces. The paper contends that these events can be used as ‘Trojan Horses’, allowing new systems to be introduced under the cover of an event. It also emphasizes how temporary mega-events transform public spaces into venues for subsequent commercial events. Finally, the paper acknowledges more positive legacies, showing how mega-events can change how public space is imagined by users and by those responsible for managing it. Both cases highlight how events influence the ways spaces are used, designed and managed.

Art Design of Urban Public Space Based on Marine Culture

Yang, L. and Tian, Y., 2020. Art design of urban public space based on marine culture. In: Gong, D.; Zhang, M., and Liu, R. (eds.), Advances in Coastal Research: Engineering, Industry, Economy, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 106, pp. 427–430. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.China's marine cultural industry is the key for the economic growth of coastal cities. The development of urban culture is synchronized with marine culture, and urban culture of coastal cities is more or less mixed, with some marine cultural elements. This study attempts to explore the overall design of public space art in coastal cities from the perspective of marine culture look deeply into the relationship between the artistic design of urban public space and marine culture and urban image building. The research results show that both the urban culture and marine culture have the characteristics of agglomeration, diversity, regionality, and radiation; the design of public art is an important factor in the design of urban image, and the design concepts of public space sculptures in coastal cities are closely related to marine culture; the public art system is a system with a sequence and hierarchical relationship; the design of art forms not only depends on their own artistic value but also echoes the surrounding cultural ideas. This study provides a theoretical basis for the rapid integration of marine and urban cultures.

Urban Niche Assessment: An Approach Integrating Social Media Analysis, Spatial Urban Indicators and Geo-Statistical Techniques

Cities are human ecosystems. Understanding human ecology is important for designing and planning the built environment. The ability to respond to changes and adapt actions in a positive way helps determine the health of cities. Recently, many studies have highlighted the great potential of photographic data shared on the Flickr platform for the analysis of environmental perceptions in landscape and urban planning. Other research works used panoramic images from the Google Street View (GSV) web service to extract urban quality data. Although other researches have used social media to characterize human habitat from an emotional point of view, there is still a lack of knowledge of the correlation between environmental and physical variables of the city and visual perception, especially at a scale suitable for urban planning and design. In ecology, the environmental suitability of a territory for a given biological community is studied through species distribution models (SDM). In this work we have adopted the state of the art of SDM (the ensemble approach) to develop a methodology transferable to cities with different sizes and characteristics that uses data deriving from many sources available on a global scale: social media platform, Google internet services, shared geographical information, remote sensing and geomorphological data. The result of our application in the city of Livorno offers important information on the most significant variables for the conservation, planning and design of urban public spaces at the project scale. However, further research developments will be needed to test the model in cities of different sizes and geographic locations, integrate the model with other social media, other databases and with traditional surveys and improve the quality of indicators that can be derived from information shared on the Internet.

The Soundscape Hackathon as a Methodology to Accelerate Co-Creation of the Urban Public Space

The design of urban public spaces is typically performed by architects and urban planners, which often only focus on the visual aesthetics of the urban space. Yet, a visually pleasing public open space designed for relaxing will be underused if it sounds unpleasant. Ideally, sonic design should be integrated with visual design, a need the soundscape approach answers. The current trend of co-creating the urban space together with all stakeholders, including local residents, opens up new opportunities to account for all senses in the urban design process. Unfortunately, architects and urban planners struggle to incorporate the soundscape approach in the urban design process and to use it in the context of co-creation. In this work, a hackathon is proposed to generate creative concepts, methods and tools to co-create the urban public space. A soundscape hackathon was organized in the spring of 2019. Participants were challenged to apply their own immersive approaches or virtual and/or augmented reality solutions on selected urban soundscapes. They presented their results to colleagues in the field and to a professional jury. This paper describes the process and results of the event and shows that a hackathon is a viable approach to accelerate the co-creation of the urban public space.

Design of Urban Public Spaces: Intent vs. Reality.

This study investigated how two public spaces for sport and recreation were utilized by different user groups, and how this aligned with the initial design objectives for these spaces. Two newly built urban spaces situated in Copenhagen, Denmark, provided the context for this investigation. The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) was used to examine the physical activity of users in these two urban spaces. The architects responsible for designing each space were interviewed to ascertain the intended target group of each space and to unravel the reasons behind the design decisions. The SOPARC observations revealed that males were more vigorously active than females when using the recreation facilities, and the observed users did not align with the intended target groups. The interviews suggested that design decisions were based on minimal interdisciplinary knowledge, and that expert knowledge was chosen randomly. These findings point to a systematic lack of evidence-based practice when designing sport and recreational facilities. This article has implications for landscape architects and urban planners; a new method must be developed to embed interdisciplinary knowledge in the planning process of future sport and recreation projects. This must be done in a systematic way to make the design process transparent.

Survey and Optimization Design of Urban Public Space in China

Significant differences exist in terms of use and demand of urban public space in different districts and communities. In this study, PSPL survey was made in about one year to investigate the type and occurring time of outdoor activities and the visitors' demand difference of Round-City-Park in Xi'an, China. The survey method for collecting data included spatial classification, photographic recording, field observation, questionnaires and interviews. Then a new method of Virtual Typical Day (VTD) was put forward to analyze usage pattern of public space in the daily life. According to our results, laying out more public spaces close to residential area can make a more vigorous city. And the results also reveal that there exist some problems of uneven usage periods in different spaces, various space requirement from different age groups, insufficient support of space and facilities and so on. Based on the survey, an optimizing strategy of adaptive design is proposed such as setting mobile “stage” and providing flexible “props” according to the changing demands. The proposed design approach can encourage people to participate in outdoor activities, improve usage frequency of public spaces, and stimulate vitality of the city. This may also apply to other Chinese cities.