Title: Identifying design elements in public spaces ...
Transcript of Title: Identifying design elements in public spaces ...
Title: Identifying design elements in public spaces conducive to the engagement of youth in
social interaction
Author:
Suparna Saha, Assistant Professor, Department of Planning and Architecture, National Institute of
Technology (NIT), Rourkela, India
Abstract: The role of public spaces in generating and encouraging interaction among people has been
established by various studies. However, in the present urban cities, social media is gradually
taking over the role of public spaces, in serving as a platform for interaction. The allure of the
virtual world is driving our youth towards an introverted indoor based lifestyle, who prefer to stay
detached from the realities of the outdoor world. Considering the present context, this study aims
at identifying features or elements in the built environment that can attract the youth to spend time
in public spaces and engage in interaction with the people they meet in these spaces. Using open
ended discussion with, and behavior observations of young adults in public spaces in NIT
Rourkela campus, the study analyses how they perceive and respond to the elements in the public
spaces. The findings shall help in planning and design of public spaces in cities to encourage and
engage the youth in outdoor social interactions.
Keywords:
Social Interaction, Public space
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Title of presentation
Identifying design elements in public spaces conducive to the engagement of
youth in social interaction
Author and presenter
Suparna SahaAssistant Professor
Department of Planning and Architecture
National Institute of Technology Rourkela, India
Presented at
4th Annual Research on Cities Summit (ARCS)
Bhubaneswar, India
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
AIM OF THE STUDY
Identification of features in public or common spaces that appeal to young adults and lure them
to spend more time in real world interaction with people, rather than spending time indoors in the
virtual world.
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study Methodology
The study is conducted using focus group discussion with 17 students, pursuing Bachelor of Architecture
from the Department of Planning and Architecture at NIT Rourkela.
The students belonged to 18-20 years of age.
The survey was conducted in two major parts.
The first part of the survey involved the following:
• Questions identifying the public spaces which the students preferred for social interaction in the
campus
• Open-ended questions on identification of the aspects in each of these spaces, which they perceived to
act as enablers of interaction and act as positive influencers in attracting students to spend time in these
spaces.
• Identification of additional features which they felt would improve their experience of these public spaces
for encouraging and improving social interaction.
The second part included:
• A structured questionnaire, where the students were asked to rank the public spaces, identified by them in
the first part, in their order of preference (1 being most preferred and 14 least preferred)
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
1. Tea stall in open space with banyan tree
• Semi-paved area with an open
space adjacent to it.
• The cemented seating constructed
along the circumference of the
banyan tree provides a naturally
shaded seating.
• The location of a tea stall in the
vicinity of the tree makes it a
lucrative spot for social
interaction.
• Roughly equidistant from all the
departments.
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
• A landscaped area in front of the lecture hall complex,
where students wait in between classes.
• The presence of a “Nescafe” stall acts as a facilitator for
inviting students to the space.
• Though the space is not shaded, students seem to have a
moderate preference for it because it provides a large space
for student gathering.
2. Lecture Complex Annex (LA) Lawns
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
3. Culvert along roads
Accidental seating spaces along the way to departments from hostels.
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
• An open space with shops along the road with hostels on both sides.
• Students visit this place for the food stalls, cycle repairing and
laundry services, and often engage in casual interaction with friends.
• The positive influencers that were observed here were the presence
of a tree which provided shade, the view of the open ground and
close proximity to hostels.
4. Backpost
• An array of shops, which includes a barber shop, grocery, amul milk
parlor, an ATM, etc.
• It is located within the area which has all the hostels and has green
spaces and trees which encourages people to gather and spend time.
5. Amenity shops near Amul Parlour
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
• Formally organized space for student
activities, where students participate in
group activities like music, dance
programs, and dramatics, etc.
• This space is not a very desired option
for social interaction among students
because of its lack of space for large
student gathering and the formal nature
of the activities that are performed within
it.
• Lack of freedom to perform activities of
choice or simply hangout with friends.
6. Student Activity Centre
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
7. Stairs and portico in front of department entrance
• These are accidental spaces for student gathering.
• Students wait in the stairways and the portico in between classes.
• The portico is shaded and spills over to a lawn
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
The open space in front of the “Nescafe stall” is enjoyed by the
students because of the sense of openness that the space
provides to them along with adequate spaces for bicycle
parking.
8. Open space in front of Nescafe stall
• Affordable, student-friendly restaurant located within the
hostel area.
• The absence of walls provides an uninterrupted visual
continuity with the open spaces.
9. Hexagon restaurant
Photo credits: Author
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
The additional features which the students felt would improve their experience with these spaces
and encourage more interaction were:
• Covered seating in public spaces,
• Free wi-fi,
• Provision for cycle parking,
• Regular maintenance, and
• Control of stray dogs in open spaces
Additional facilities
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
Mode
based on analysis of
ranked data
Banyan tree which provides covered seating;
closer to the departments making it a common gathering space for students from
different departments,
affordable tea and snacks stalls in the space;
scope for inter-departmental interaction
Naturally shaded area with informal and affordable food stalls; Amenity shops like
laundry and bicycle repair shop;
View of the open ground
Proximity to hostels
Open seating space for waiting in-between classes
Large space for large group of student gathering
4 Student Activity Centre Indoor Space for organized activities or events 13,14
Affordable tea and snacks stall;
Adequate space for bicycle parking;
open space that allows free movement and beautiful open view of the surrounding
6 Amenity shops near Amul Parlour Mixed Amenity shops; ATM; space for informal gathering; located in the hostel area 11
7 Stairs and portico in front of TIIR building Accidental space for waiting in-between classes 3
5 Open space in front of Nescafe stall Outdoor 13
1
2 Back-post Outdoor 2
3 Lecture Annex (LA) Complex Lawns Outdoor 2
Sl.No. Spaces Type of space (Indoor/
Outdoor/ Mixed)
Features that are perceived to act as positive influencers
1 Tea stall in open space with banyan tree Outdoor
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
Mode
based on analysis of
ranked data
8 Culvert near Naga pond Outdoor Natural view of waterbody 14
9 Hexagon restaurant Indoor but with visual
connectivity with outdoor
Affordable restaurant with visual connectivity with the roads and open spaces
outside; located within the hostel area
4,8
10 Hostel Mess Indoor Organised space for meeting friends and students from other departments during
breakfast, lunch or dinner
12
11 Hostel Canteens Indoor Organised space providing opportunities for meeting friends and students from inter
and intra departments
8
12 Hostel TV Rooms Indoor Organised space for spending time with meeting friends and students from inter and
intra departments
10,12,13
13 Hostel Corridors Indoor Accidental, in-between, space for interaction 11
14 Indoor sports facilities inside hostel Indoor Organised space for spending time with meeting friends and students from inter and
intra departments
7,14
Sl.No. Spaces Type of space (Indoor/
Outdoor/ Mixed)
Features that are perceived to act as positive influencers
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Study of interactive spaces in NIT Rourkela
Tea stall in open space with banyan tree
Image credits: Author
NESCAFE
Backpost
Hexagon Restaurant
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Inferences from study
• Preference for open spaces that allow for unhindered visual connectivity with the surrounding.
• Small, intimate open spaces which provide opportunity for contact with both known and unknown
people (here signified by inter and intra departmental students) in a natural setting.
• A desire for wi-fi facilities in these spaces that enables them to watch movies or listen to music with
their friends in open spaces.
• The lack of freedom to perform activities of choice in formally organized spaces for interaction can be
interpreted as the reason for lower preference of organized spaces like Student Activity Centre, Hostel
Canteen, etc.
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Inferences from study
The criteria for selecting a public space for interaction can be summarized as :
• Presence of green spaces
• Flexibility in design to accommodate various types of activities and which can in turn provide freedom to the users.
• Opportunity to causally hang-out in natural informal setting
• For a public space to attract young adults, they should be adjacent to residences, and areas commonly visited by them.
• Associated with affordable food service and other amenity stores.
• Provide sense of openness either by being located in an open space or through provision of visual continuity with
exterior spaces.
• Provide covered, comfortable seating.
• Have internet (wi-fi) connections.
• Regularly maintained.
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Acknowledgement
The author thanks the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, India for providing her with the
support required for the present paper. The author also expresses her gratitude to the students of the
Department of Planning and Architecture, NIT Rourkela, India for participating in the survey process
conducted for the present paper.
Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
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Prepared by Suparna Saha
Presented at ARCS 4.0, 2020
Thank You