Sustainable Placemaking Project Part 3

Date/Time/Location

2PM - Friday, October 27th 2017 - Washington Quad

Weather

It is currently 68 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. Not a cloud in the sky.

Sensory Information

It’s unusually warm out for how chill it was this morning. The grass in the area looks fresh and green despite starting to change texture for the Fall season. There is not a single cloud in the sky and the trees are notably starting to change colors.

Observation of People

For the 30 minutes I sat there I counted 40 people either hanging with their friends in the area or passing through the area. A majority of people in this area are active. There are two separate groups of a handful of boys throwing a football around, a group of four playing catch with a frisbee, a mixed group of 5 guys and girl playing volleyball, and a girl practicing dribbling for soccer. I count 7 individuals just sitting down and enjoying the fresh air and 6 people studying.

Social Observations

Because a lot of the people hanging out in this area presumably live in the surrounding dorms, it was common for people passing through to socialize with other passerby’s or the students hanging out in the area. In particular, there is a girl studying next to me and she has had several acquaintances/peers stop and say hi as they pass by her.After about 20 minutes, one group of guys playing catch with a football joined up with the other group playing catch with a football and had one big group of people playing catch with a football. 

Intended Purpose & Fulfillment 

This space was very clearly designed for socialization and to build community. I believe it is currently fulfilling its intended purpose. The weather today, in particular,  is exceptionally nice compared to earlier this week so I assume there is a direct correlation between the number of people hanging outside in the quad and how nice it is outside. However, regardless of the weather, I have never walked through the Washington Quad and seen it bare and empty - there is always pass through traffic.

What Draws People To This Place?

I think what draws people to this place is the wide open air and calm atmosphere. There is a lot of open space for people to play sports, however, it is a small enough space to foster social interaction with passerby’s. A big factor that draws people to this place is the dorms surrounding it. When it’s nice out the residents in the surrounding halls like to come and hang outside. This not only helps build community within the surrounding dorms but also draws more people to walk by and people watch.  

What Are Some Problems With This Place?

I think this area is in dire need of a few amenities in order to further sustain it's surrounding community. There are several ameneities I believe should be upgraded or renovated, and one specific amenity that I feel would allow for the residents of the surrounding halls to make this place somewhere they feel at home. First,  Second, the tables in the gazebos should be replaced with bigger picnic tables. Third, The gazebos themselves could use some aesthetic upkeep. Fourth, the volleyball net, while functional, could be upgraded to add some further aesthetic appeal. Finally, I think adding moveable lawn chairs to this area would give surrounding residents flexibility in setting up their communal area which would allow the residents to customize their community and in a way make the place their own. 

1. Grills

As you can tell from the photo below, the grills should be cleaned or upgraded. The grills as of current are really gross, I highly doubt they get much use due to this. I think that if the grills were cleaned, or even better,  upgraded it would help build community amongst residents and people in the surrounding area as they grill and socialize together. I would support an installment of electric grills on the Washington Quad, however, if the school is concerned about expenses cleaning the grill or rebuilding it such as in the second photo below would greatly improve the community. 

Current grills at Washington Quad

As visible from this photo, the grills at the Washington Quad are not well-maintained. I have never seen anyone use the grills in the place. 

Hypothetical Cleaned/Renovated Grills at Washington Quad

I think that a well-maintained grill (such as the photo above) at the least, or a complete replacement of the grill, would be much more appealing to the community surrounding it.

2. Tables

While there are tables in the gazebos, I believe that they should be replaced with picnic tables such as the one in the photo below. The tables currently only seat four people, I think adding larger tables that accommodate larger groups would help encourage residents to have meals with their friends. 

This picnic table allows for groups of at least 6-8 students to come and each food together. This would foster community building in larger groups rather than what is currently a small table that accommodates groups of people exceeding no more than 4 individuals. 

3. Gazebos

As I've stated previously, the gazebos could use some serious touch-ups. The bricks look old, the paint is chipped and discolored. I think a little repainting could go a long way in terms of creating an aesthetic appeal that would draw more people to the area. I've noticed that most people sitting in the gazebos are alone or with very few friends. This upgrade would coincide with the grills, in that if they are cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing there would be more people hanging out in the gazebos rather than the open space. 

4. Volleyball Net

While the volleyball net is functional, I think an upgrade would benefit the community aesthetically. It is evident that this net has not been replaced in a long time, there is very visible wear and tear on it. While this is not a priority, I believe that replacing the net with a new one would bring a breath of fresh air to the surrounding community. 

5. Lawn Chairs

I think this may be the most important suggestion for an improvement that I have at the moment. Adding lawn chairs such as the ones in the photo below would allow residents to customize their community - make it a place of their own. Currently, there is nothing for the residents to move around and customize which, as we discussed in class, limits community building. 

These lawn chairs in the photo above are common amenities across college campuses and public spaces in the United States. Allowing some customability would go a long way in allowing the residents to build a community of their own.

I believe the above improvements would further foster sustainability in this community. The improvements I suggested all revolve around drawing people to this space - whether it be through aesthetics and modern renovations or community customization. The Washington Quad has not been updated in a long time. An aesthetical upgrade would make it more appealing for people to spend time in this place - thus further promoting social interaction. I think customization in this space is crucial to its long-term sustainability. Allowing its residents to customize certain aspects of it - such as the placement of lawn chairs - would allow for each generation of students to customize their space in their own unique way. Provided the surrounding community is responsible enough to not misplace the chair, this could very well be the first of many customizable options in the Washington Quad. 

I recall a topic we discussed in class regarding movable lawn chairs in New York City and other cities. This was my main inspiration in this idea. As the example in class demonstrated, people tend to like being in control of arrangement of places in order to feel more comfortable. For example, think of an individuals home - they arrange it in such a unique and personable way that they feel comfortable in that private place. This is very applicable to public spaces, the more customizable it is for a community, the more at home they feel, the more they are willing to socially interact with other people in that space. 

Another thing we discussed in class is that great places instill a feeling of culture. I believe that the Washington Quad has its own unique cultural feeling. It is the only public space on campus completely surrounded by resident halls and this is reflected amongst the people who spend time in it. It is very clear that apart from those passing by, the residents hanging outside consider this "their place." While several resident halls are a part of a community centralized by a public area, the Washington Quad is unique in that it is uncommon for it to be completely empty of people. Most public areas outside resident halls are concrete plazas with very little grass and very few people regularily hanging out there.  In contrast, the Quad always has people there and I believe that is due to the culture the open air and grassy area creates in the surrounding community.