The quality evaluation of Urban open spaces ( as a matter of fact Quality evaluation of any thing) can not and should not be generalized, codified and standardized. If some body has done it , it should be adopted carefully,

The quality is always specific. Location specific, Peoples cultural background specific, Function specific, Size specific, Purpose specific, Surroundings specific environmental needs specific etc.

What I mean is---- An urban open space can be enjoyed if it is noisy if it is a Bazar or Hat and other side the same must have calmness and tranquility if it is remote park meant for that mood. If it is meant for tribal settlements it has to be of different character as compared to normal middle class urban community. the character of a Childrens' park or Tot-lot has to be different as compared to huge cultural park. An open space within a commercial complex will have have different norms as compared to an open space within a shopping center in a neighborhood.

I think, whenever an architect or urban designer intends to have an urban open space he must think, discuss with users, and decide the NATURE OF THE SPACE. Based on this should decide all other standards which should be maintained and achieved. A parallel example of the same nature may be seen and studied but not copied as if SOME THING IS A STANDARD FOR OTHERS.

Not only for urban spaces but for all other situations, WE PLANNERS AND DESIGNERS SHOULD GO ON EVOLVING SPECIFIC DECISIONS FOR SPECIFIC SITUATIONS RATHER THAN SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING , CALLED UNIVERSAL STANDARDS.

Good question - I have been looking at some piazzas and market squares in Italy and Germany, but don't know how to categorize them

Thanks, Robert. This morning I have just found out about a tool called POST (Public Outdoor Space Tool) developed by the University of Western Australia (http://www.sph.uwa.edu.au/research/cbeh/projects/post) and a few others. However, these tools are useful only to audit and evaluate public space after they are built. I was thinking of finding something that can evaluate during the design process.

Thanks for the link Prananda. I was hoping that a study of existing good open space (Italian piazzas for example) would give some parameters for new, planned open space. Maybe another contributor can come up with some suggestions here.

You're welcome. Well, you can use POST to evaluate some Italian piazzas that you consider to be good open spaces and come up with some parameters. POST can be modified and combined with other tools (i.e. remote observation tools such as Google Earth) so that you don't actually have to walk through the piazzas. The other tool I had in mind was SPACES (Systematic Pedestrian and Cycling Environmental Scan).

In my field, the evaluation is in the specific physical environment field, many tools you can use either by manual or simulation, such as by calculating PMV (Predicted Mean Vote for outdoor thermal comfort), MRT (mean radiant temperature) and so on. But..if you want to evaluate the process (the making of) based on the theory or urban design, you may refer to many theory from Kevin Lynch, Rob Krier, Hamid Shirvani , etc.. you may find here http://architectureandurbanism.blogspot.jp/

and this is the simulation for urban area http://envi-met.com/

also http://www.mif.uni-freiburg.de/RayMan/ both of them are free. But... you need for noise level, so i guess my suggestion not include your research topic, sorry ^ ^

Hope i can find something, next time ^ ^

Thank you, Beta. I will look up PMV and MRT during the next few hours. I am familiar with Lynch, Krier, Shirvani, and the like. Their theories provide solid ground to kick start the design process. We can evaluate the design quality "on the go" by referring to design theories during the design process.

Thank you for the links, Beta. FYI, I'm not looking specifically into noise levels only. I aim to come up with a parametric model to evaluate the design of public space (are you familiar with Revit? My model will sort of become an extension to Revit). The model will predict the design's performance by evaluating the soft-scape to hard-scape ratio, vegetation (type of vegetation, age, diameter, etc.), soil type (to evaluate permeability, etc.), you get the point :)

hmm short of, i just read cast it when i was doing my thesis research...hehe forgot already, might be similar with Ecotect, but i'm not mastering both of the software.

Prananda, maybe you can review Responsive Environments, was written by some urban designers and they use 7 characteristics that a building have to have in roder to design what they called responsive environments. The autors use characteristics from other autors as in what they call legibility (this cahracteristic is related to the 5 elements Kevin Linch use). The autors are Ian Bentley, Alcock, A., Murrain, P., McGlynn, S., Smith, G., 1985. Responsive Environments: A Manual for Designers. Architectural Press, London.

A square ... or an urban park built inside the city, has some noise, depending on their environment ... there is always a noise map, prior to the implementation of the park ... if you listen to the birds, it's alright. Now any public space has noise and the noise of the frame itself generated by users ... is not the shape that will control noise ... I do not quite understand the question... the only way to reduce the sound generated on the square would use a coating material / finish of the surrounding buildings with a material absorbing noise, like cork or other

Stephan, Jazzmin, and Eduardo, thank you all for your answers. The idea came to mind while designing a client's house using Revit: rather than evaluate public space after they're designed and built, why not evaluate them on-the-go, while designing them (using whatever computer-aided design application)? The only way this is possible, in my opinion, is to use a parametric design tool, much like Revit, that can predict how the designed public space affects the immediate surroundings (reduce noise, affect urban heat island, and so on). That was what I meant by "tool"...does such application/tool/software exist? I'm sorry if my question is a bit misleading.

There are lots of resources here, in the "Toolkit" section, as well as in the case studies - many of which estimate the predicted performance or measure the actual performance of public spaces:

http://lafoundation.org/research/landscape-performance-series/

Kristina, thank you so much. That's exactly what I've been looking for! :)

Stephan, I'm so sorry for not being very specific..public open space was what I meant. Of course, public buildings are also public space, it's just that buildings aren't what I'm focusing on right now. Thanks :) do check out the link Kristina has provided. Lots of interesting stuff there.

A public space design evaluation of the Sidgwick Site in Cambridge was commissioned both in support of the design team and the development client, the University of Cambridge. In the first stage of evaluation we used visibility analysis software to identify ‘desire lines’ for pedestrian movement and natural surveillance characteristics of the site in order to pinpoint ways in which the development enhance the functional use of the site by pedestrians and cyclists. In the second stage we undertook study of cycle and pedestrian flows on site to provide evidence on user requirements for planning purposes

This is the very interesting question

In my country, there are secondary legislation about noise, air pollution ect.

But there is no certification or certification methodology for plans. By the new law about planning and constructions, the revision of plan acts will be set up. I think it should be incorporated in revision.

Based on what I know, the Urban Land Institute does not have a single guideline to measure the quality of Urban spaces. It is all subject to the objectives and goals that the research wants to accomplish.

Here is a good sample that I like as source inspiration or parameter :

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2010/10/08/2013112258.pdf

"Seattle Urban Quality Evaluation"

y GEHL Architects -2008

Copenhagen, Denmark

tel. +45 32 950 95

Includes:

1- Introduction & philosophy

2- Principles & best practice

3- Potentials & evaluation

Also agree with Kristina Hill suggestions

The quality evaluation of Urban open spaces ( as a matter of fact Quality evaluation of any thing) can not and should not be generalized, codified and standardized. If some body has done it , it should be adopted carefully,

The quality is always specific. Location specific, Peoples cultural background specific, Function specific, Size specific, Purpose specific, Surroundings specific environmental needs specific etc.

What I mean is---- An urban open space can be enjoyed if it is noisy if it is a Bazar or Hat and other side the same must have calmness and tranquility if it is remote park meant for that mood. If it is meant for tribal settlements it has to be of different character as compared to normal middle class urban community. the character of a Childrens' park or Tot-lot has to be different as compared to huge cultural park. An open space within a commercial complex will have have different norms as compared to an open space within a shopping center in a neighborhood.

I think, whenever an architect or urban designer intends to have an urban open space he must think, discuss with users, and decide the NATURE OF THE SPACE. Based on this should decide all other standards which should be maintained and achieved. A parallel example of the same nature may be seen and studied but not copied as if SOME THING IS A STANDARD FOR OTHERS.

Not only for urban spaces but for all other situations, WE PLANNERS AND DESIGNERS SHOULD GO ON EVOLVING SPECIFIC DECISIONS FOR SPECIFIC SITUATIONS RATHER THAN SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING , CALLED UNIVERSAL STANDARDS.

I suggest a "classic" reading:

Lynch, Kevin, A Theory of Good City Form, MIT Press, Cambridge MA and London 1981

Very clear book, and still very useful for evaluating public spaces.

Dear Martinico, You have suggested a "classic" reading:

Lynch, Kevin, A Theory of Good City Form, MIT Press, Cambridge MA and London 1981

Very clear book, and still very useful for evaluating public spaces.

Yet I found the book America and Western World specific or the book sees the world with western spectacle. Many things said are not applicable to situations in Eastern world particularly to socio-cultural situation in Bharat. People here blindly follow these western norms and repent afterwards.

that is why I am suggesting that every time the study must be done with origanility specific to location and situations. YES EVERY BODY MUST REINVENT HIS OWN WHEEL.

I also agree with Mukund's comments, and the argument that what is ok in one location might not be at all suitable in another. But architects, urban planners and street designers can surely learn from looking at examples which work - e.g. examples of shared public space like piazzas which have been popular for tens or hundreds of years. This does not mean that they would have to codify the examples in any numeric ranking or algebraic techniques.

Dear Mukund

I fully agree with your comment to my suggestion about Lynch's book.

If I look at what is happening in Italy to public space I can be even more critical. We have destroyed our fantastic urban culture imitating a terrible car oriented idea of the city. Our squarer have been transformed in awful parking lots, urban sprawl is destroying our landscape ....

Land use choices must be ALWAYS place specific but we should also try to build our place specific strategies on the experience of relevant scholars, adapting modifying or criticizing them .. not an easy job !

Perhaps an alternative to codifying good open space it would be better just to share details of examples. I tried to do this with the attached pdf (1.6 MB) using an example of a small town in Germany. Is this a useful approach?

Nativas,

I think the news tools expandes with the use of intelligent surveillance cameras, the Kinect is now a revolution. If you can program , it is easily adapt the sensor to measure in real time ... My research are converging to evacuation (not evaluation) of people by measuring the distances between skeletons using a simple kinect (Xbox) connected to a personal computer.

I believe this will bring the user into the urban design...

You could find in this article some elements to diagnostic urban space and place but it is in french. This method is however very intuitive and operationnal :

Sylvie Lardon et Vincent Piveteau, « Méthodologie de diagnostic pour le projet de territoire : une approche par les modèles spatiaux », Géocarrefour [En ligne], vol. 80/2 | 2005, mis en ligne le 01 décembre 2008.

URL : http:// geocarrefour.revues.org/980

In our work we touch on Fractal Analysis of Urban areas which provides a quantitative value for the complexity of the built environment. Also I believe Space Syntax might be of interest to you.

Josephine, do you have any brief papers which describe your work?

This (slightly old) paper describes our application of fractal analysis to architecture. It briefly mentions the use by other scholars of fractal analysis and urban space. There are several good references in there if you have an interest . We have many more recent publications but I am just getting used to uploading them (correctly!) to this portal.

Conference Paper A Computational Analysis of Fractal Dimensions in the Archit...

Thanks Josephine

Health effects (beneficial or adverse) should be considered in any such evaluation

We think more deeply and looking for tools pedestrian behavior ... has a sophisticated mathematical applied to our floor, turning speed, attraction and repulsion!

Hi everybody. Really a very interesting subject. It s very difficult in my opinion to talk in general terms about quality of public spaces and its evaluation. Really the perspective presented by Robert Bartlett can be a real and effective methodology to follow up. Different cultures have absolutely different concepts about the same "objectuve" asoect. For example, voids into public spaces. When I mean "voids" mauybe I am talking about saces plenty of things and relationships ony the "managers" of these spaces, the actors, the most direct users are able to understand. Really happy of finding this discussion and hoping to be more active from myself.

Madrigal,

When I think of "voids" (empty spaces) remember the dangers, before thinking about the quality of urban spaces empty, we have to remember the accidents that they already provided. AIt is an reverse methodology but avoid major disasters in the time to think about quality!

See:

http://www.springerreference.com/docs/featured/archive/94.html

http://www2.docm.mmu.ac.uk/STAFF/P.Harding/ourapproach.html

Dear Arthur Lara:

I think we are talking about absolutelly different meanings about "void" spaces... Tnnik about the fantastic space our colleague Ribert Bartlett has introduced where these voids are letting so many rich possibilities to use them

If you want in portuguese-brazilian;

Pense por um momento nos rossios e espaços "vazios" que são provocados na vossa cultura arqutectónica. Estiu a oensar em "vazios" absolutamente caracterizados....

Brazlian-portuguese culture has fantastic examples about it where tj'he key word is the characterizion of these spaces.... Thery are places, neither "no places"

And I agree with you, the horrible list of dead people in these not characterized spaces in my opinion is rekated to "no places"

Do you have problems to accept "void" spaces in piazza as Palio di Siena, for example?

This is the kind of topics I am trying to present, fantastic spaces, "void spaces" plenty of things, defined by this sense of the place, controlled spaces , plenty of life , not death.

Yes, we have beautiful spaces dialoguing with a modern architecture, but the green constructions (post-modern buildings), and intelligent dinamics should have their devices not calibrated in "beauties-empty-spaces", but in mathematics of our streams. The new modelling building (Lean BIM) will have green and smart devices that count algorithms our bad and good behavior, it will give a new quality to the space ... Think of the revitalization of the plaza in Mecca that their culture worships, integrated devices in the revitalization of the plaza can prevent further tragedies. ..

I am not taking about modern archutecture. I am talking about tangible and intangible values. I am talking about the enormous differences between eternal urban open public spaces, more specifically about euromed spaces, for example, and the modern spaces without category of places, .. spaces with no identification of their users... When you don't consider this space as yours, some wrong thing was done by the author of this space. I don´t want to make a monologue about ir. Tha main goal here is the evaluation of the design of the public space. And maybe we are not talking about the great scale, but the high quality of the space ... without a relationship between the great scale and the quality.... anu«y scale, but please with high quality, if possible.

i found recently a very intersting article on how to dignostic an urban territory. It's also in french . This method would be very interesting for urban planners. You could find it at this address : http://geocarrefour.revues.org/980 " Méthodologie de diagnostic pour le projet de territoire : une approche par les modèles spatiaux" . it's linked to my Ph.D on space uses in traning sessions.

There is quite a substantial amount of work done to develop a methodology which is generic in terms of approach, but has inputs which are local in nature, thus helping in a thought process which can lead to specific solutions based upon the requirement of the context. This theory is called space syntax. well, i liked the idea quite alot. but at the same time i cant agree more about the making of public spaces what Mr.Mukund Hambarde is referring to.

You can refer their website http://www.spacesyntax.com/ :)

Dear Shikhar Singh, I visited the site suggested. It was very good and has all the attributes you mentioned. Yet they were explaining their projects in which they have done very rational and deep study, research too.

Yet my point holds good. One can learn the methodology and other considerations adopted by these or other people but their application for a specific purpose must be done a fresh. If any one else can work out the approach, methodology and considerations for one location why can other not do for other location.

This is generally ridiculed as "Re-inventing the wheel" I am of the opinion that "EVERY ONE SHOULD INVENT HIS OWN WHEEL."

Dear All,

This is a topic that I am also deeply interested. I am interested in the use of affective design strategies to enhance the sense of place and place attachment and would suggest the following methodology developed in Rio de Janeiro: http://www.fau.ufrj.br/prolugar/arq_pdf/diversos/embodied_observation_A%2BP_deal_par.pdf.

in recent research, we have developed this theme. we have studied the possibility of control of the project of the urban environment in a project funded by the EU. See then our study Housing for Europe, have been developed on the structure of the built environment and issues of relational spaces.

Housing for Europe Strategies for Quality in Urban Space, Excellence in Design, Performance in Building.

URBACT II Operational Programme 2007-2013 - Working Group “Hopus – Housing Praxis for Urban Sustainability http://urbact.eu/hopus http://urbact.eu/

It is a multi-disciplinary reflection on urban development, encompassing strategies, governance models, guidance instruments and assessment tools, all considered in the wider framework of current European policies on the city, housing and building technology. The looking glass of a two-year transnational exchange project, bringing together universities and local administrations, allows us to understand the great challenge lying ahead in the 21st century: the quest to create cities which are beautiful, healthy, and attractive places to live.

Book Housing for Europe: strategies for quality in urban space, e...

The Space Syntax method by Hillier, the urban, planner, designer and sociologist. This method uses soft ware to evaluate the open spaces in urban fabric and their integration .

Thanks for this fantastic thread. Landscape Architects certainly play a key role in planning and analyzing urban spaces. I find the key is to get feedback over and over in iterations with the audience that will be using the space to find out if you are designing a successful place. With the advent of more and more 3D software packages, we can certainly create incredibly realistic virtual spaces that we can walk audiences through and observe their comments.

This is a fascinating opportunity to meld together 3D virtual software, such as from Dassault Systemes where I work, with landscape architecture and urban planning. If we can design spaces, and test them virtually before building them, we should be able to vastly increase the amount of successful built urban and other spaces.

Hi Prannanda, this book or related papers should be a good reference for you.

Factors and Priorities for Assessing Sustainability of Regional Shopping Centres in the UK

Along with Space Syntax, you might consider the classic film by William H. Whyte, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. If you can find a copy it is worth the view. For green/sustainability planning consider Andres Duany's The Smart Growth Manual and Bill Reed's The Integrative Design Guide to Green Building: Redefining the Practice of Sustainability. Finally Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction.

In doing so the term "Sustainability" should be taken as "mutual sustainability". It must not go towards "Self sustainability" Because firstly it is impossible to make everything self sustainable. Secondly, and more importantly, it is not desirable. If everything is self sustainable everything within a short period will cease to exist.

The nature, too, is not self dependent and has interdependency within its various constituents. Similarly, a region, (The size depends) must have inter dependency or mutual sustainability among its units, urban, rural, resources, communities, opportunities, contribution etc. Self sustainable city--- The very idea is frightening. If it comes out I am horrified with the fear of seeing numerous dead bodies of rural settlements around such a stalwart city.

Fortunately There is a huge amount of software. For analysis use any of the below. Most are free.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_network_analysis_software

if your want an urban experience evaluation tool (actually observing people ) then I would say you need people Watcher ( https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/people-watcher/id523155791?mt=8 )

Yes there are tools developed in this field, I can orient you towards Hussam Al-waer's publications, he was my lecturer guest in my Sustainable Development module. Regards

Amar

The laboratory I am doing my Ph.D. (Simmlab) has developed, and is developing, a software that works as a Decision Support System for urban planning. Right now we are working on the integration of sustainability and environmental analysis as well as on a new graphical interface.

http://www.cityzoom.net

Regards,

Lennart B. P.

Dear Prananda Navitas,

If my book wasn't in Portuguese language I would recommend you to read it (but I suppose that most probably you can't read Portuguese, I am right?).

- Book: Alves, Fernando B. (2003) Avaliação da Qualidade do Espaço Público Urbano. Proposta Metodológica. Ed. FCT / FCG, Lisboa.

               Translating: Alves, Fernando B. (2003) Evaluation of the Quality of the Urban Public Space. Methodology Proposal. Ed. FCT / FCG, Lisbon.