Tag: Public Space (Page 1 of 2)

Undergrads analyze UNC spaces

July 20, 2022 / odrozd

This post was originally published on February 28, 2018. As the end of summer approaches and the school year starts, we go back to one of the archives to take a look at the spaces at UNC.

By Marques Wilson, Forest Schweitzer, Olivia Corriere, Bronwyn Bishop, and Joe Young

As part of the Community Design and Green Architecture (ENEC 420) course with Eric Thomas, the Project Manager and Lead Designer at Development Finance Initiative, undergraduate UNC students evaluated public space. Using video and behavior mapping techniques, students evaluated how different local spaces are used, or not, at different times of the day and on different days. They noted weather and other factors that would influence the behavior of people in the space, and produced final reports and videos to highlight the design features that seem successful in attracting and keeping people, and those that fall short. See excerpts from two groups’ final reports and their videos below:

The Pit:

“There is nothing elegant, advanced or expertly designed about The Pit at UNC and yet it is a focal point of our campus. It is quite literally a glorified rectangle-shaped hole in the ground. It’s only definitive feature being steps lining the edge and two large trees in it’s center. How does something so simple have such an impact on the everyday lives of students? The Pit’s simplistic nature lends itself to ease of use, but it is largely so successful because of its central location. The Pit is surrounded by some of the most frequently visited buildings on campus: the student union, the Student Store, the dining hall, Lenoir, The Undergraduate Library, and Davis Library. These buildings attract students of all years and majors.

The Pit is used in many ways and is a healthy, bustling part of UNC’s campus. However, it could stand to be improved. For example, the entire unused section nearest to the Undergraduate Library could be revitalized using creative seating solutions. We propose a designed space — different than anything The Pit has seen before — of modern multi-use benches in what is now “dead space.” An example of our vision is the Plaza at Harvard and the simplistic, yet artistic benches that exist there. Our hope is that this will give new life to this area of The Pit because when people see intentional seating for them in a popular social place, they will utilize it. Also, the modern design of the benches will give The Pit and exciting element of relevance in design that college students are likely to be interested in.”

Sculpture Garden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0wshgas3Ak&t=5s

“We chose to analyze the Sculpture Garden, which lays between Kenan College of Music, the Hanes Art Center, and Swain Hall. The space is primarily transitional, with bits of student-made art sprinkled throughout. A diagonal, bricked walkway extends through a grass matrix, forming a square with three sides touching the above buildings. The Sculpture Garden is a moderate-to-heavily used space. The primary form of traffic is individuals walking in either direction along the prescribed brick pathway. Although there were bikes present in the data, the absence of bike infrastructure, and the sometimes clogged nature of the pathway deterred most from riding their bikes through the Garden. One might think that the grass matrix would be attractive sprawling space for individuals and groups looking to eddy out of the central flow, or to simply mill about and consume the art present, but this data was absent from the study. Some few individuals crossed ‘unconventionally’ across the grass, but these were in the extreme minority. The particularity of the pathway (leading to the front doors of Hanes Art) does not lead for much variation, and thus only suits a specific type of traveler: they who wish to walk from Swain Hall, or other locals in mid campus, to Hanes Art or over to South Columbia Street.

Our recommendations would be to make the space feel like it belongs in the arts part of campus. Make it different. Make it new. The single brick path should either be removed or downplayed. A program should be put in place informing passers-by that they are free to walk in the way most organic to them, for perhaps a year. At the end of this period, the paths naturally worn into the grass matrix could be either bricked over or simply defined and formalized. More sculptures and places for people to sit should be installed. The sculptures fortify the space; they make a large, empty space feel small and intimate. They afford privacy without actually cutting the individual off from the rest of the Garden. Even non-three dimensional additions like posters and murals on the sides of Kenan and Hanes would really bring the place alive. There is ample real estate with which to flesh out not only the Sculpture Garden, but to crystalize what it means to be an artist at Carolina. In doing so the university could strengthen its image, and foster a robust space for artists on campus to share their own work and consume and comment on the work of their peers and mentors.”

Analysis of the Sculpture Garden by Marques Wilson (Undergraduate Senior, Public Relations B.A., Sustainability Minor), Forest Schweitzer (Undergraduate Junior, Environmental Studies B.A. – Sustainability Track), and Olivia Corriere (Undergraduate Sophomore, Environmental Studies B.A. – Sustainability Track, Geography Minor).

Analysis of the Pit by Bronwyn Bishop (Undergraduate Senior, Environmental Studies B.A. – Sustainability Track, Writing for the Screen and Stage Minor) and Joe Young (Senior, Environmental Science B.S., Mathematics Minor).

Featured Image: The Pit at UNC Chapel Hill. Photo Credit: UNC Admissions

Why I Loathe the High Line, and How Parks Became New York’s New Gentrification Tool

September 9, 2021 / odrozd

By Eve Lettau

When I tell people that the High Line is my least favorite park in New York City, their jaws instantly drop. I am aware that some view my opinion as blasphemous, but when we critically assess the High Line’s impact, it’s clear it wasn’t designed to benefit all New Yorkers.

Please, don’t get me wrong, it has some very good qualities. It has reinvented adaptive reuse as glamorous and inspired countless cities to revive their abandoned spaces. And yes, for those who only care about looks, the High Line is breathtaking. However, my disdain for the High Line is because City Hall has used parks and open space as a tool to rebrand neighborhoods as luxury. This only attracts more wealthy newcomers and displaces and excludes native New Yorkers.

The creation of the High Line began in 2004 when then-Mayor Bloomberg supported the creation of the West Chelsea Special District.[i] This zoning change cemented the High Line into the city’s zoning map and allowed for it to begin developing as a park. Coincidentally, it was during this time that Bloomberg and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYEDC), the city’s economic development arm, also began a covert operation to rebrand New York as a city of opulence.[ii]

The goal of the rebranding was to attract key investors and residents to the city. Bloomberg’s development strategy viewed New York City as a product with a distinct brand. Bloomberg and NYEDC decided — without input from New Yorkers — upon a brand of luxury.

As Julien Brash writes in Bloomberg’s New York: Class and Governance in the Luxury City, “If New York City is a business, it isn’t Wal-Mart…It’s a high-end product even a luxury product.” Knowing that rebranding was the principal economic development strategy during Bloomberg’s tenure, it isn’t hard to see that the unprecedented public spaces that have been created since are a direct manifestation of that policy.

Some may protest, “But public spaces and parks are good! We should be building more!” And they are completely right. However, the city should build parks in neighborhoods like Mott Haven and Bushwick, which the non-profit New Yorkers For Parks has found to be vastly underserved by open space.[iii] Instead, the city develops extravagant parks in places like Chelsea and Brooklyn Heights, which aid in rebranding entire neighborhoods and ultimately displaces families.

Governments should create parks to provide necessary open space to existing residents, not to catalyze real estate investment and attract a wealthier class. Since the High Line opened in 2009, the median household income of the surrounding area has increased from $80,747 to $141,672.[iv] This is an increase of about 23%, while the overall household income of New York City has only increased by 7%.

Anyone who visits the High Line (including the 7,000,000 annual visitors) can see this.[v] When walking along the path, one would expect to see beautiful views of the Hudson. In reality, it’s hard to see anything other than the backside of countless million-dollar apartments, which have sprouted up mere inches from the rail. This is not to mention the fact that the park has now finished its final stretch, which circumvents Hudson Yards, the largest real estate development in the history of the United States.

I’m sure the designers and community activists who fight tirelessly for these parks are well-intentioned. Unfortunately, what the High Line and many of New York’s other luxury open spaces say, is that only individuals in the highest income bracket are entitled to well-designed, highly programmed open spaces. What makes this statement even more gut-wrenching, is that it’s not just real estate developers and billionaires saying this, the city is too.

In 1961, Jane Jacobs wrote, “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.”[vi]

This directly translates to how the city should use parks and open spaces. The High Line and others like it, were developed because a small group of people decided what the city should be and who it should serve. However, public space is meant to be shared by the public—everyone.

To achieve this, parks and open space planning should be more participatory, focusing on the needs of every person in that community. Secondly, open space interventions should also be developed in areas that truly need them, not high-income neighborhoods in Manhattan. Lastly, both administrative and community-led tools like downzoning, rent controls, and 197A plans should be implemented to make sure that amenities like parks don’t displace existing communities.

Now, the next time the city promises a new park, regardless of where it may be, I hope you pay attention. Because at the end of the day, it is up to us, New Yorkers, to reclaim our public spaces.

[i] The High Line. History.

[ii] Brash, J. (2011). Bloomberg’s New York: Class and governance in the Luxury City. University of Georgia Press.

[iii] New Yorkers for Parks. Open Space Index.

[iv] U.S. Census Bureau; American Community Survey, 2015-2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, Table DP03. American FactFinder.

[v] Sim, J., Bohannon, C. L., & Miller, P. (2020). What Park Visitors Survey Tells Us: Comparing Three Elevated Parks—The High Line, 606, and High Bridge. Sustainability, 12(1), 121.

[vi] Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities.

Eve Lettau is a second-year Master’s student in City and Regional planning, studying equitable economic development. She’s passionate about how good jobs create access to good housing opportunities and vice versa. Originally from the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, she received undergraduate degrees in Economics and Public and Urban Affairs from Virginia Tech. In her free time she spends time hiking with her 2 year old puppy or taking care of her much-too-large plant collection.

Edited by Amy Patronella

Featured image courtesy of Trey Ratcliff

Pandemic Musings: Consent and Corona

June 18, 2020 / odrozd

By: Amy Sechrist

Reflecting on the pandemic response thus far, I’m struck by the shift in tone surrounding personal and community responsibility related to COVID-19. The initial lockdown and self-isolation periods felt more like a call to sacrifice for a larger public good. We were asked, even if we were healthy, to please stay home and avoid being the link in a transmission chain that could lead to another person’s death.

As we head into the fourth month of COVID-19 response, I’ve felt a shift in tone from collective duty to an “every person for themselves” approach. Under this personal risk assessment framework, we as individuals are responsible solely for our own well-being; you can go get a haircut if you feel comfortable with the personal risk incurred regardless of your effect on public health.

To those who are immunocompromised or at a higher risk of contracting the virus, this approach says, “Yeah, I know it’s inconvenient (maybe even impossible) to survive without going outside, but how I deal with the risks of the virus is my choice and how you deal with it is your choice. I will not be inconvenienced to accommodate your needs.”

Under this approach, the navigation of public space becomes a complex question of communicating, interpreting, and acting in response to the personal risk choices of others. It becomes a question of respecting stranger’s personal bodily autonomy and choice; in essence, it becomes a question of consent.

The times that I have felt personally the most anxious and/or annoyed in public space during the pandemic are those instances where my risk mitigation choices are clearly ignored. Walking with a friend one afternoon, we maintained a six-foot distance between us and transitioned from walking next to each other to walking single-file when crossing paths with others as a means of maintaining distance from strangers and each other.

When we crossed paths with another couple, both strangers witnessed our intricate dance to maintain social distance but made no effort to do the same. In the end, they entered the space we had clearly tried to safeguard. This felt not just annoying but invasive.

Of course, this type of invasion of space is not uncommon in public places. I’ve experienced countless instances of someone standing a little too close on the metro, choosing an adjacent seat when the rest of the bus is empty, or attempting to chat when I’m clearly reading a book and keeping to myself. None of these actions are necessarily malicious, but they exemplify the ways in which our culture has always struggled with issues of consent.

As the pandemic presses onward and people return to public spaces, I will be interested to see how these interactions occur and shape our feelings towards our communities and our neighbors. It is my sincere hope that we all become more practiced in the art of consent by paying attention to the signals of others and respecting their personal risk mitigation choices even if they differ from our own. Thankfully, there are many sex educators and gender-based violence advocates doing this work already. I hope to see the planning field consider the ways in which personal risk preference, public space, and consent interact to create more welcoming, although perhaps socially distanced, places in the future.

Featured Image: UNC’s Polk Place. Photo Credit: Johnny Andrews/UNC-Chapel Hill

Amy Sechrist is a second-year master’s candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning with a concentration in Housing and Community Development. Her research interests include affordable housing, planning for equity, and the intersection of gender and planning. Prior to UNC she worked as a Housing Advocate and Shelter Manager at a gender-based violence crisis center and as a federal project management consultant. Amy holds a certificate in Creative Placemaking from the New Hampshire Institute of Art and a bachelor’s degree in Political Communication from George Washington University.

From the Archives: Got Green Space?

May 15, 2020 / odrozd

This post was originally published by Anna Patterson on November 24, 2017. As COVID-19 has limited much of our activity and movement to our homes, many people are turning to the outdoors for a bit of refuge. Exploring the importance of green spaces- particularly on public health- this piece is once again relevant.

Planning for Preventative Health

Urban green space provides a place to escape the concrete and steel of urban city centers, spend time in nature, connect with others, and get moving. As Americans become increasingly sedentary, a push towards funding and implementing green space as a means of increasing individual health has gained traction. Doctors now write green prescriptions for patients to go walk at their local park three days a week or to visit the local farmers market weekly to purchase healthy local fruits and vegetables. Not to mention, green space is aesthetically pleasing and likely to increase property values. But planners and public health practitioners often underestimate the power of green space to prevent disease and serve as a promotive factor for physical, social, and emotional health.

In young children, green space promotes muscle strength, coordination, cognitive thinking, and reasoning abilities—all important aspects to the future health and success of children. Additionally, green space promotes cleaner air and increased exercise.

Research demonstrates that the relationship between green space and increased health outcomes is particularly strong for individuals from lower socioeconomic statuses. In large cities, elderly, youth, and those whose highest level of education was secondary benefited most from living near green space.

Research regarding the mental health benefits of green space is emerging. It is widely accepted in current Western culture that stress is ubiquitous. However, when a person is exposed to high levels of stress for long periods of time, the resulting toxic stress can wreak havoc on the body and result in negative health outcomes. Previous research demonstrates that the quantity of green space in a person’s living environment is linked to stress on the biological level. Individuals with less green space exhibited higher cortisol levels, an indicator of stress, than individuals who lived in greener environments.

Partnerships for Prosperous Green Spaces

Partnerships, especially between public health and city and regional planning practitioners, are crucial to the work of health equity. Ultimately, successful large-scale green space initiatives require investment from commercial, philanthropic, and government organizations.

High Line Park in Manhattan’s West Side exemplifies a successful, large-scale, public-private investment. Friends of the High Line, the conservation group that organized to save the old High Line railway, agreed from the start to pay the entire cost of operations of the park. In turn, the City of New York paid most of the construction costs for the park. Today, the park attracts over 3 million visitors per year and provides a unique and aesthetically pleasing landscape for residents and visitors alike to get their daily dose of green space.

640px-A_visit_to_the_High_Line_park — *High Line Park in New York City. Photo Credit: David Berkowitz*

Problems with the Popularity of Green Space

Admittedly, a multitude of factors contribute to the impacts that access to green space has on individual health outcomes. For example, residents who work odd hours or multiple jobs may not benefit as much from access to green space, since they are unable to utilize such spaces during daytime hours or have other priorities that take precedence.

Little research has been done on the effects of urban green space, which is traditionally built in blighted areas that have not been developed because of their high poverty rates and lack of surrounding attractions. How do residents interact with visitors to parks and green space built in low-income areas? Do residents have a voice in the building of such parks, which will not only literally change the landscape of the neighborhood, but create a gentrifying force that attracts trendy restaurants, rising property taxes, and increased traffic to the place they call home.

How Can Planners Participate in the Green Space Movement?

Ultimately, green space serves as a unifying force, fostering social health and understanding amongst individuals who might not otherwise interact. It provides a place to reflect, relax, and mentally recharge. The effects of green space on physical, mental, and social health are often overlooked.

Planners’ participation in the creation and conservation of green space requires advocating for and educating others about the benefits of green space, particularly for marginalized populations. Green space should be viewed not as a luxury or architectural aesthetic, but as a necessity. While preserving and maintaining green space, and particularly parks, is likely more expensive and less profitable than razing the land for an asphalt parking lot or strip mall development, the health benefits truly do add up.

*Photo Credit: Pixabay, Creative Commons.*

About the Author: Anna Patterson is a dual degree master’s student in the Department of City and Regional Planning and the Department of Health Behavior. Her scholarly interests include health and the built environment, vulnerable populations, and community development. Prior to coming to UNC, Anna worked as a program officer for a health foundation in Alamance County, NC. She likes American folk music, slalom water skiing, and hikes along the Haw River.

Featured Image: Coker Arboretum at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Source: Anna Patterson

The Case for Public Space in Porthole Alley

February 24, 2020 / odrozd

By Luke Lowry

Franklin Street is undeniably the heart of Chapel Hill. It is where students rush after sports victories, where people socialize over food and drink, and where alumni reminisce about their college years. While UNC is many things to many different people, there is one area where it objectively falls short—providing adequate public space. However, a recent proposal by UNC to redevelop Porthole Alley has the potential to change that.

Porthole Alley is a popular pedestrian and bicycle thoroughfare from Franklin Street to the UNC campus (pictured below). The redevelopment plan centers on the alley and the buildings on either side (128 E. Franklin St., 134 E. Franklin St, Hill Commercial Building, and the Porthole Building). The university has plans to maintain ground floor retail while building an Undergraduate Admissions Center, a Visitors Center, and other university office space. However, the plans are not finalized. In January of this year, the university and the contracted architectural firm KieranTimberlake held four community engagement workshops to solicit input on the proposed designs and to determine other possible uses. This spring, a complete concept design will be released. Since the university is still deliberating on potential uses, the possibility of incorporating public space remains.

Hill Commercial Building, Porthole Alley, and 134 E. Franklin St (via The News & Observer)

Chapel Hill does have a plethora of great public spaces (see CPJ contributor Brandon Tubby’s piece on the Top 10 Best Public Places in Chapel Hill). However, for a variety of reasons, these places don’t optimally serve those who live near downtown Chapel Hill. For starters, several of these places are difficult and time-costly to access from downtown. The Chapel Hill Public Library is the quintessential public space; it offers a space to gather and additional resources such as media, workshops, and events. With beautiful architecture and ample natural light, it’s also a joy to be in it. However, it’s location is disconnected from downtown Chapel Hill and disproportionately favors vehicular access. The library is a tremendous community asset, but downtown Chapel Hill lacks a comparable facility.

Chapel Hill Public Library (via Chapel Hill Public Library)

The public spaces in closer proximity to downtown Chapel Hill are still suboptimal. Many of the “public” spaces on Franklin Street are not truly public because they require a financial investment to utilize the space. The prime example of this is coffee shops, which are regularly used as a place for people to do work, meet with friends, conduct business meetings, or other random tasks. Starbucks has famously capitalized on this latent demand for public space— CEO Howard Schulz has routinely marketed the brand as a third-place (places outside of home and work where people can gather). These places usually function well because the investment to use the space is fairly cheap—a cup of coffee. However, the cost—however small—is still prohibitive to many people. For a place to be truly public, it should be free to access. In addition, because these third places are under private control, they can be unreliable. Starbucks has been in the headlines frequently over controversial cases where certain customers were forced from the store, such as when two black men were arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks minutes after arriving for being “non-paying customers.” This is not meant to disparage the important role of these private-public spaces for downtown Chapel Hill; however, there is still unmet demand for truly free public space.

Even further, these private-public spaces on Franklin Street are geared towards a specific demographic—college students and young adults. Franklin Street is known for its restaurants, retail, and entertainment, but these establishments are often one-dimensional and provide no utility for younger or older crowds. Chapel Hill can’t be blamed for this; businesses are catering to the most prevalent customer base. However, Porthole Alley offers a rare opportunity to supply that which the market would never provide—a space useful for all ages. Sometimes, public spaces will be useful primarily to only a subset of the population by necessity—for example, a teen center. However, public spaces should generally have some practical functions for all types of people, including all ages of people. As the popular public space advocacy group 880 Cities puts it, “If everything we do in our cities is great for an eight-year-old and an 80-year-old, then it will be great for everyone”.

While there is a demonstrated need for better public spaces in downtown Chapel Hill, many would argue that UNC has no obligation to provide it—and those people are correct. While the symbiosis between UNC and the Town of Chapel Hill is undeniable, the university ultimately holds no responsibility to provide this space. However, it would be acting against its own principles if it didn’t. The basis for the Porthole Redevelopment Project is the recently published 2019 University Master Plan, a comprehensive plan for the physical development of the campus. The plan establishes several overarching principles; one of them, Look Outward, says this: “UNC-Chapel Hill is of and for the public… The campus will be broadly welcoming and connected to its surroundings”. Clearly, there is a call for something which directly serves the public; the redevelopment needs something more than the Undergraduate Admissions Center and Visitors Center, which serve university objectives exclusively.

By failing to include public space, the university would also miss an opportunity for personal benefit. UNC has discussed Porthole Alley as the potential nexus of an innovation district, a concept that has been highly popularized in recent years. To this end, the redevelopment would include a facility for collaboration in the arts, sciences, or other fields. However, incorporating public space would be one of the best ways to foster innovation. In a joint study between Project for Public Spaces and the Brookings Institute, eight principles for successful innovation districts were determined; the first was to Make Innovation Visible and Public, the idea being that random interaction in an open environment is more innovative than purposeful interaction in a closed environment. Thus, providing public space in Porthole Alley could be complementary to broader university goals.

This public space could take many forms, but the specific function is less important than whether it is conveniently accessible, free, and as useful for as many people as possible. If UNC were to build a space in Porthole Alley which accomplished these things, it would benefit itself and improve downtown Chapel Hill as a place to be enjoyed by all for generations to come.

About the Author: Luke Lowry is a first-year master’s candidate in the Department of City and Regional Planning with a specialization in Transportation. He is particularly interested in pedestrian and bicycle planning as a means to increase equity and create vibrant communities. A lifelong resident of North Carolina, he enjoys spending time in the mountains near his hometown.

Top 10 Best Public Places in Chapel Hill

November 12, 2019 / odrozd

By: Brandon Tubby

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is a place full of places. The history of the town, founded in 1783, is inextricably tied to that of the country’s first public university and the flagship university of the state of North Carolina.

Such a close association between a university and the town it resides in is evident as the university carries the name of its locale on its back as an act of homage. Not only do the Tar Heels represent the state of North Carolina, but they also represent the town which brought them together – the place of their gathering – in an equally important manner.

It is truly the University of North Carolina, founded, nourished, and experienced in no place other than Chapel Hill. The boundaries between the two are seamless, developing organically over the past 200 years, and forming a town-and-gown relationship united by an everlasting commitment to the pursuit of the public good.

There are many notable public spaces and places created along the way of this centuries-old, collective journey. Each vary in their methods of leaving a warm impression on its visitors. Here are the top 10 best public places in the Southern Part of Heaven from the eyes of a senior undergraduate.

1. The Pit

The Pit (via UNC Admissions)

The Pit functions as the Times Square of Chapel Hill. Adjacent to two major libraries, the student union, and the bookstore, the Pit is an energetic junction and gathering space central on campus grounds. Among the sea of worn red bricks, overstuffed backpacks, eye-popping posters, and dizzying arrays of free food lies the true meaning of what it means to be a member of the Chapel Hill community: full-fledged engagement in the present. When passing through the Pit, embrace the conversation a hollering club rep will most definitely try to have with you, and eat your messy gyro on a set of low steps with vigor. Life in the Pit moves fast. Don’t let it pass you by.

2. North Carolina Botanical Garden

Foliage at the North Carolina Botanical Garden (via herecomestheguide.com)

The North Carolina Botanical Garden is a mature nature preserve located at the base of Laurel Hill Road. The educational purpose of this green oasis is evident through its insightful displays and innovative learning activities. The Garden is magnificently designed to allow for a cohesive experience as you transition between its formally bounded grounds (pictured) and the pristine natural habitat which surrounds it. The Garden’s omnipresent serenity eases the mind and invites you to think and explore with childish wonder.

3. North Graham Street

A trio of local business on North Graham Street (via Google Maps)

This eclectic plaza is truly what any small-scale, public-private hybrid space should aspire to be. Nestled between Rosemary and Franklin on the intimate side-street of North Graham is the conglomeration of one of the country’s best burger shacks, a mysterious mobile coffee shop, a fashion-forward thrift boutique, two high-end hair salons, a bar-arcade, and a beer garden. The vitality of this strip is drawn from its inviting outdoor seating which is shared amongst all of the businesses on the street, cultivating an ever-enduring block party vibe. The space encourages cross-pollination between different types of people all brought together under the allegiance to be conversational, kind, and quirky.

4. Carolina Basketball Museum

Exhibits at the Carolina Basketball Museum (via visitchapelhill.org)

The accomplishments of the North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball team cannot be understated, thanks to the inspiring, historical adventure provided by the Carolina Basketball Museum. Located on Skipper Bowles Drive near the Dean E. Smith Center, the museum accentuates the art of sport from the point of view of one of the most esteemed college basketball programs in the NCAA. At this public space, you can encounter people of all ages from near and far, gleefully marveled by the accomplishments reaped through the hard work of some of Carolina’s finest players and coaches.

5. Ackland Art Museum

Exterior of the Ackland Art Museum (via campaignforcarolina.org)

The Ackland Art Museum’s free admissions and special exhibitions create a barrier-free public art space right off Franklin Street on South Columbia. With over 17,000 works of art featured, be assured that whoever tags along with you on your next spontaneous Franklin Street detour will not be dismayed upon entrance to the Ackland. On your visit, the art will surely entertain, but the assemblage of curious, wandering minds strolling through the free museum will move your mind and heart further than anticipated.

6. Chapel Hill Public Library

Upper level of the Chapel Hill Public Library (via chapelhillpubliclibrary.org)

Being in the Chapel Hill Library, built on a hill, sometimes feels like studying in a treehouse. The translucent design creates an interior unaccompanied by the gloom and stuffiness which too many libraries fail to shake. Located right near the de facto library of Caribou Coffee on East Franklin Street, this substantial, open-air public space hosts a diverse community of insatiable minds and curious souls. With strong community backing, the Chapel Hill Public Library highlights the significance of public engagement in creating and maintaining accessible public places with dynamic purposes.

7. Kenan Stadium

Kenan Stadium from the student section (via chapelboro.org)

Kenan Stadium is unique from the rest of the places on this list because its uses come in feast-or-famine bouts. On gameday, 50,000 people pack into the stadium nestled in the pines to watch their Tar Heel gladiators go to war with whoever dared to enter the Chapel Hill town boundaries earlier that day. But outside of those rare moments, waltzing into the stadium, which is regularly open to the public, you’ll find yourself overcome by the massive beauty – and stillness – of the largest public arena Chapel Hill offers. As the bell tower’s ringing subtly echoes through the stadium, a runner punishes themself with bleacher drills while a couple students indulge in some leisure reading with a dramatic view. Kenan Stadium is a boundless public space for big dreamers, on and off gameday.

8. Hooker Fields

Entrance to Hooker Fields (via freshu.io)

Hooker Fields comes in strong as a magnet for the vigorously active looking to get their exercise fix – rain or shine. The stadium lights illuminate the plane of synthetic turf, attracting crowds at all hours of night and day in both organized and spontaneous fashions. The good news: there is always room for one more on Hooker. Access to public restrooms and the widely assorted usage patterns amplify the space’s calling to anyone and everyone looking to break a sweat on their own terms.

9. Bolin Creek Trail

A painted tunnel on the Bolin Creek Trail (via visitchapelhill.org)

The Bolin Creek Trail functions as an avenue for pedestrians, cyclists, and runners to meander through various parks and places in Chapel Hill. The trail is always bustling – especially on weekends – with a vibrant array of people from all over the Town who are graciously connected and united by the path set out by Chapel Hill’s favorite babbling brook.

10. Carolina North Forest

A gravel trail within Carolina North Forest (via Yelp user Matty B.)

Carolina North Forest is owned and operated by the university but lies far from campus grounds. With several entrances in the Seawell School area, Carolina North is a highly accessible environmental enclave in the center of Chapel Hill. A vast network of trails summons people on many different missions. It serves as a haven for dog-spotting while simultaneously offering top-notch mountain biking and soft-surface running trails. It is more of a tranquil, active space for the local exercise guru than the unconcealed, chaotic public space that is Hooker Fields. You can truly lose (or find) yourself along one of the winding paths which meander through Carolina North.

Featured image: A giant chess set at the North Carolina Botanical Garden (via North Carolina Botanical Garden)

About the Author: Brandon Tubby is a fourth-year undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill majoring in public policy with a minor in urban studies and planning. Brandon competes for the Tar Heels as a distance runner on the varsity cross country and track teams, specializing in the 1500m run.

Undergrads analyze UNC spaces

February 28, 2018 / odrozd

The Pit:

Sculpture Garden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0wshgas3Ak&t=5s

Featured Image: The Pit at UNC Chapel Hill. Photo Credit: UNC Admissions

Seeing the Weird in a Rapidly Changing Austin

February 15, 2018 / odrozd

Seeing the Weird in a Rapidly Changing Austin

This winter break, I crossed another city/state off my bucket list by visiting Austin, Texas.

Known for its unique flair (“Keep Austin Weird” is the city’s marketing slogan), music, barbeque, and other fried foods, the city’s rapid change in population over the last couple of decades has transformed its physical landscape. The US Census estimates that from 2000 to 2016, Austin’s population has increased nearly 45 percent, from 656,562 to 947,890 residents.

With this rapid growth, Austin, quite visibly, is a city that looks to balance its increasing levels of development with its reputation as an outdoorsy and creative urban area. Below are some photos I took while perusing the capital of our nation’s second most populous state:

Barton Hills. Photo by author.

Austin has an extensive network for pedestrians and people riding bicycles. These separated bicycle lanes are in the residential neighborhood of Barton Hills. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail feeds into Zilker Metropolitan Park.

Street named after Robert E. Lee. Photo by author.

Texas, as a confederate state during the Civil War, still memorializes Robert E. Lee through naming a street after him. Recently, many have advocated to change the name of this street.

Austin skyline. Photo by author.

Take from the edge of Zilker Memorial Park, the downtown skyline is developing as a result of many businesses and residents move to Austin. Pictured in between is Lady Bird Lake (technically the Colorado River), named after this country’s former first lady. A champion for conservation and the environment, Lady Bird Johnson advocated for planting the trees seen alongside the lake and the 10-mile-long Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail.

“Forever Bicycles.” Photo by author.

Seen while on a bike tour, this Ai Weiwei sculpture, known as “Forever Bicycles”, consists of 1,254 bicycles.

Baylor Street Art Wall. Photo by author.

My bike tour made a stop at the Baylor Street Art Wall on Castle Hill (see the castle at the top?). Originally planned for condos in the 1980s which were never constructed, passersby can spray paint virtually anything they would like on the formerly planned development’s foundation. Holding itself as a creative and cultural icon for Austin, I was told that this wall will soon be demolished to make way for new condos.

Austin’s Downtown Public Library. Photo by author.

Austin just opened its new downtown public library in October 2017. The library has a rooftop garden where people can study and socialize.

LBJ Presidential Library. Photo by author.

On a much drearier day, I visited the LBJ Presidential Library on the campus at the University of Texas at Austin. The building, like many of the buildings at the university, has brutalist architecture.

About the Author: Nate Seeskin is a second-year Master’s student in the Department of City and Regional Planning, where he concentrates in transportation, land use, and environmental planning. Hailing from the midwest originally, Nate can often be found perusing around Carrboro on his bicycle.

Editor: Katy Lang

Kisses Beyond the Gate: Putting up Walls in a Country that Values Intimacy

January 6, 2017 / odrozd

This post was originally published by Agora, the Urban Planning and Design Journal at the University of Michigan. It is reproduced here with permission.

Davor was the first one who kissed me. Let me explain. I recently spent the first month of my summer in Santiago, Chile, where I worked for an NGO called Ciudad Emergente. The organization does interventions and research surrounding public spaces in Latin America, promoting the notion that short-term action can lead to long-term change. Some examples of their work are experimental bike paths demarcated with cones and a pop-up concert/artisan market hybrid in derelict space — both of which are examples of an approach known as tactical urbanism. Implementation and evaluation of tactical urbanism interventions are growing in popularity as effective means of testing scenarios to ultimately influence policy.

In my first moments as a Ciudad Emergente intern, Davor opened the door, and then another door, and finally a wrought-iron gate that separated the facade of the building from the happenings within. And then, immediately after clarifying that I was, indeed, Alana, he kissed me on my right cheek. It caught me off guard. I might as well have been a stone wall. For the remainder of the month, after having been kissed by every single person I met, residual shock remained.

But why was I so shocked? This wasn’t my first time traveling to a country that subscribes to such intimate greeting traditions. Over the course of my internship, I made observations that shed light on my qualms. A great deal of our work simply involved conversation with and facilitation of it amongst neighbors. In fact, over the month, we coordinated three “malónes urbanos.” Literally, it means “urban surprise attacks,” but we called them urban potlucks. They brought residents to share in community and ownership over a public space in their neighborhood (plazas, abandoned markets, or the middle of the street). A primary feature of the potlucks was an invitation for residents to discuss the qualities they like and dislike about their neighborhood. On not just one occasion, residents would say, “I had never spoken to my neighbors before today,” or “No one trusts one another. That is why we go into our homes and shut the doors.”

A wall of victims of the Pinochet dictatorship on display at the Museum of Memory and Human Rights in Santiago, Chile. This is one of many memorials that can be found all over the city. Photo Credit: Alana Tucker.

Without appropriate context, these words would be descriptive of your average American subdivision. However, to a Chilean, the words’ weight is palpable. In the 1970s and ’80s, Chile was ruled by a dictator named Augusto Pinochet, after a coup d’etat that overthrew socialist President Salvador Allende. Pinochet opened the borders to free-market trade, positioning Chile as the most powerful economy in Latin America.

Yet, to steal a common adage, all that glittered was not gold. During Pinochet’s dictatorship, public space was the stage for promoting his neoliberal agenda, instilling fear as a tactic to suppress his opposition. Heavy censorship, sanitation of public space, and physical retention of artists and cultural icons was commonplace. Estadio Nacional, the country’s national soccer stadium, was turned into a concentration camp at one point during the regime. Over 40,000 Chilenos were taken captive and brutally beaten or tortured. Nearly 4,000 people simply disappeared, executed and never to be seen again.

At the close of business each day in Santiago, as I walked home from work, the cacophony of screeching graffitied garage doors and gate locks turning was my playlist. For some properties, the gate was a decorative feature with finely detailed metal work. On others, a gate was simply the outermost crust of a wary domicile or bodega. But a single property without a gate or garage was not to be found. Viewing the private spaces where Chileans converse, embrace, and love was impossible. At first, as a passerby of these designs of high security, I felt alone and rejected by Chile, as if an entire country could exile a tourist.

At some point during my tenure in Chile, the words of the neighbors assumed meaning. I saw that public space was never public for Chile’s last few generations. To feel safe and secure, to share one’s true thoughts and ideas, one must stay indoors behind the behemoth of wood, iron, and steel doors and gates. To be in public meant to risk one’s own dignity and life, lest they be stripped of their most basic human rights. On the other hand, to allow one to pass beneath the doorpost of a Chilean home and to bestow a kiss to a newcomer is the physical embodiment of the transfer of trust.

Tactical urbanism defies traditional planning practice that pontificates that a good plan makes a good city. Rather, it is seeded in the belief that planners know nothing until they know what people think and feel about their city. Bearing witness to the words of the Chileans at our potlucks, the complex relationship between the physical form of private property, social elements of public space, and the history of Santiago, Chile makes sense. By using often cheap, but wildly innovative methods of city shaping, we can measure the successes and failures of our interventions. As tactical urbanists, the profession will be all the wiser, as we navigate red tape and change policy for better cities and a better world.

Feature Image credit: Alana Tucker.

Alana Tucker is a 2nd-year Master of Urban Planning student at the University of Michigan’s Taubman College. Her studies focus on urban stormwater and tactical urbanism as a means to promote equity, environmental sustainability, and placemaking in urban space. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Business from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and owns her own small business making maps of cities around the world. Last summer, she worked at a small tactical urbanism NGO, Ciudad Emergente, in Santiago, Chile.

Reviving Wasted Pavement

September 29, 2016 / odrozd

How should we use public space in downtown cores? What is the social role of parks? What form can community action take?

Angles sat down with environmental studies and city planning student Caroline Lindquist, a senior undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill, to find out. We discuss the parklet she and her friends designed, built, and enjoyed on September 16th, known fondly by guerrilla urbanists throughout as “PARK(ing) Day”.

Angles: What is PARK(ing) Day?

Caroline Lindquist: PARK(ing) Day is an “annual open-source global event” where citizens transform parking spaces into temporary public spaces or parklets for the day. The event began in 2005 in San Francisco with a design studio called Rebar, that created its own parklet for a day. The mission of PARK(ing) Day is “to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated.”

A: How did you set up the park? Did you need permission to use the space?

CL: To build the Chapel Hill parklet, we gathered our group of friends who studied sustainable community design through the Burch Study Abroad Seminar in Spain and Germany in 2015. We all brought different items from our houses such as carpets, plants, chairs, sofas, tables, anything that we thought could help make a fun public space. We then bought two big rolls of astroturf and rolled them out to lay the groundwork for the parklet (because what’s a park without some green?) After arranging basic seating, we drew a checkerboard on the pavement with chalk and added a little putt-putt green to encourage activity in the space.

The parklet on Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill, NC. The park included household furniture, a putt-putt green, and potted plants. Photo: Caroline Lindquist

Did we need permission? Technically no. The original creators of Parking Day, looked at the zoning code in San Francisco and other cities and saw that as long as you pay the parking meter, you can use the space however you want. The Director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership, Meg McGurk, was extremely supportive and encouraging of PARK(ing) Day. Meg went out of her way to reserve parking spots for us, pay the meter, and even provide Starbucks gift cards for anyone who visited the park to use.

A: Who were some of the people who visited the park?

CL: The type of people who used the park varied throughout the day. In the morning, the parklet was mainly occupied by our set-up crew, some folks experiencing homelessness who helped us set up the parklet the year before, moms with young kids, and coffee shop patrons.

Sidewalk chalk entertained younger parklet visitors. Photo: Caroline Lindquist

In the afternoon, our friends stopped by, along with other UNC students, and those who heard about the event through social media or word of mouth.

By the evening, the sidewalks were heavily populated, since there was a home football game the next day. That was when more families and adults visited the parklet.

Early in the day, the parklet was hosted a variety of activities. People conversed, played music, and read. Photo: Caroline Lindquist

A: How was the space used throughout the day? What was the space like at 9am compared to 5 in the afternoon?

CL: Throughout the day, the space changed based on the sun orientation and the people who used the parklet. At 9am, the space was very basic with a few spots for seating, a picnic table, some couches, a bench. At mid-morning, we added balloons on the ‘No Parking’ cones to make the space more celebratory and inviting. We also added sidewalk chalk, which attracted some of the younger children walking by. In the afternoon, a friend brought by a foosball table and a soccer ball. We turned the astroturf section of the parklet into a mini soccer field using the ‘No Parking’ cones for goals.

A: What do you hope creating the parklet accomplished?

CL: I think this parklet showed people how much public space is devoted to the automobile (the sheer size of a parking spot is statement enough). Many people could not believe that all the parklet space was just two parking spots.

The parklet was a testament how public spaces strengthen community by encouraging interaction between different members of society (students, children, professionals, homeless, elderly) that may otherwise never meet.

The park also encouraged people to take more ownership of their city by transforming spaces to better reflect community values.

By the evening, the parklet truly evolved into a social space. Photo: Brian Vaughn

A: What urban designers inspire you?

CL: Though she’s not a designer, Jane Jacobs is one of my greatest inspirations. She was a journalist, author, and activist who criticized urban designs of the day, saying that they did not reflect the needs of city dwellers. The urban realm should be designed to the human scale to encourage ‘eyes on the street.’

Ghigo DiTomasso, a professor of mine at Berkeley is another major source of inspiration. He works for Gehl Studios, a world-renowned urban design firm, on activating public spaces and using tactical urbanism.

Lastly, Thomas Woltz, a landscape architect has inspired me with is urban design projects (such as the Hudson Yards project in New York City) because of the way he focuses on revealing the intersection between landscape ecology and cultural history with his work.

A: What projects are you working on right now?

CL: Right now, I am doing an independent study on the psychology of biophilic urban design. My work is focused on understanding the mental health benefits of integrating nature into cities as well as the psychology behind designing successful public spaces. I am using Dix Park in Raleigh as my case study, which was a mental health hospital before the land was bought by the City in 2015. I am also serving on the Dix Park Master Plan Advisory Committee, where I have the opportunity to help with the planning process and design of the new park.

Dix Park in Raleigh. Credit: City of Raleigh Parks & Recreation

About the Author

Caroline Lindquist is a senior at UNC majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in City and Regional Planning. Her primary interests are biophilic design, tactical urbanism, and landscape architecture. She has spent the past two summers studying renewable energy in Spain and Germany and studying Urban Design at UC Berkeley. Caroline currently serves on the Dix Park Master Plan Advisory Committee for the City of Raleigh.

Feature Photo: Caroline Lindquist

Tag: Public Space (Page 1 of 2)

Undergrads analyze UNC spaces

By Marques Wilson, Forest Schweitzer, Olivia Corriere, Bronwyn Bishop, and Joe Young

Why I Loathe the High Line, and How Parks Became New York’s New Gentrification Tool

By Eve Lettau

Pandemic Musings: Consent and Corona

From the Archives: Got Green Space?

Planning for Preventative Health

Partnerships for Prosperous Green Spaces

Problems with the Popularity of Green Space

How Can Planners Participate in the Green Space Movement?

The Case for Public Space in Porthole Alley

Top 10 Best Public Places in Chapel Hill

By: Brandon Tubby

1. The Pit

2. North Carolina Botanical Garden

3. North Graham Street

4. Carolina Basketball Museum

5. Ackland Art Museum

6. Chapel Hill Public Library

7. Kenan Stadium

8. Hooker Fields

9. Bolin Creek Trail

10. Carolina North Forest

Undergrads analyze UNC spaces

Seeing the Weird in a Rapidly Changing Austin

Kisses Beyond the Gate: Putting up Walls in a Country that Values Intimacy

Reviving Wasted Pavement

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