The winter life of small urban spaces in New York City.
Item
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Title
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The winter life of small urban spaces in New York City.
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Identifier
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AAI9732944
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identifier
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9732944
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Creator
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Li, Shaogang.
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Contributor
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Adviser: David Chapin
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Landscape Architecture | Psychology, Behavioral | Environmental Sciences | Urban and Regional Planning
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Abstract
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The purpose of this study is to get an in-depth understanding of how people use outdoor urban spaces in winter, how their behaviors change with the variation of climatic conditions, and what factors are significant in predicting the "use density" of an urban space in different seasonal periods.;This study has employed a multi-method approach which combines qualitative field observations and quantitative analyses. Six midtown Manhattan urban spaces were chosen as the settings for either continuous or instant observations. Behavior mapping, field notes, photographing and users' interview were used as the methods of data collection. Thirty-two midtown and downtown urban spaces were taken as the settings for users' counts. The number of people sitting, standing and passing were recorded. The counts were conducted three times a day during lunch hours for 15 days at each space. Both the observations and the counts were conducted from mid-October through winter till the end of next March. The results of the qualitative and quantitative analyses revealed the following:;The temperature around 40{dollar}\sp\circ{dollar} F represents a special seasonal period (the sub-marginal period) independent of both winter and the marginal seasons in influencing users' behaviors and their perception of and attitudes to the climatic environment.;Climatic variables played very different roles in predicting the "use density" of an urban space in different seasonal periods. They were not significant in winter but very significant in marginal seasons and somewhat in between in sub-marginal periods.;Passing within an urban space and the necessary activities which generate passing are the most significant elements in predicting "use density" and the "holding power" of the space, especially in winter.;In all, ideal micro-climatic conditions are not the reasons for people to come to and stay in an urban space in winter. Their actual role is to make the thermal environment less stressful for those already in the space. It was activities, necessary or optional, programmed or spontaneous, that attracted people to stay in winter.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
