ABSTRACT
Cities aren’t only physical structures; more importantly, they’re social organisms. Chapter 8, therefore, focuses on community formation. Although a social process, design – particularly town form, layout pattern, connectivity and walkability – can support this. At communities’ hearts are public places. Their design affects public-life vitality. Reflecting our nested layers of identity, their requirements differ at different social, hence urban, scales. Besides facility provision, place-quality is crucial. Places that induce lingering are sufficiently populated to be convivial. Many towns, however, need regenerating; and town centres, revitalizing. Typically, however, this increases traffic, which with its consequent parking, de-compacts both atmosphere and society, so counters pedestrian street life. Furthermore, whereas historical public spaces were scaled for pedestrians’ sensory limits, the motor age brings new demands: vehicular scale and exhaust ventilation conflict with the social-compaction, stimulus-concentration and microclimatic protection that invigorate public places. The design of new public places therefore involves resolving multiple conflicting demands.
