Human Social Behavior in Public Urban Spaces: Towards Higher Quality Cities

摘要

Cities are like books; they can be read, and we have to understand their language. The street, the footpath, the square, and the parks are the grammar of the city; they provide the structure that enables cities to come to life, and to encourage and accommodate diverse activities. A humane city creates pleasure for visitors and passers-by, as well as for those who live, work, and play there every day. Everyone should have the right to easily access public open spaces; everyone should be able to see a tree from their window, or to sit on a bench close to their home with a play space for children, or to walk to a park within ten minutes. Well-designed cities inspire the people who live in them, whilst poorly designed ones brutalize their citizens. A city must increase the quantity and quality of well-planned beautiful public spaces that are human in scale, sustainable, healthy, safe, and lively. In this approach, this research studies the relation between the human social behavior as a valuable concept and the urban design theories that will help improve the lack of understanding of what people need for space and how urban designers can stimulate a better urban public place. It then goes on to emphasize the importance of urban qualities of these spaces for conveying human behavioral social activities in public spaces. Critically, this social function often conflicts with understandings of public spaces, which emphasize their place in promoting a city's image, consumer activity, and economic renewal. The research will be conducted over three parts: the human social behavior approach as a new dimension from definitions, models and personalization; public urban space design throughout time, place, and space configuration; and the linkage between the theory and practice of people in the conclusion of the research.