Safety in a public space

Safety in a public space

Exploring the idea of City Sharing, in a perspective, means that we are looking at the safety environment a space has to offer not just a common usage. A public space has to be safe to an extent that allows it to be shared among the diverse population. Unsafe public space could come from design or the lack of maintenance but it all results in being unusable or is use by an undesirable group of people.  

My chosen site is the NE Campus Parkway, located on the West side of the University of Washington-Seattle Campus, between the 40^th and 41^st Streets and stretches from the 12^th to the 15^th Avenue. It is a residential/dormitory area for the university students, and considered to be one of the major entrances into the campus. I am one of the students who live in the dorm, using this space to go in and out of the main campus. The security I feel from using this space is satisfying throughout the day.

Campus Parkway is open and a large community. It is a major transit for the people, making it active right from the beginning of the day. There are major bus stops on both sides of the Parkway; by the 12^th and by Brooklyn. Diversity in students and classes results in people moving through the space all day long. In addition, there are different users group, such as the local people in the neighborhood, which also use the space. Density of students is high in front of Schmitz Hall where there is a bridge leading to the Red Square. Also, the Parkway is connected to the University Avenue, making the street crowded every time I walked pass the street. Campus Parkway is also well maintained with functional light posts and traffic light.

Witit Apornvirat ( Golf )

Public City Parks at Night

     These photos were taken as night set in and just after it had rained rain. The photos were taken at Kobe Terrace Park in the International District neighborhood. The park is relatively small and nestled in between the bustle of the city, surrounded by I-5, local apartments and just a few blocks from Jackson Street. Due to the time, there were not very many people, but there were some traveling through on bikes, on foot or with their dogs (though none too keen on being a part of the photo background).

     City Sharing can aptly be attributed to this park, where locals and passersby use the park as a way to briefly escape from the city environment. The park is open to the public, but also fits nicely with the surrounding buildings to give the appearance of a private place as well. Unlike Central Park's motive to minimize the city impact, the park seems to incorporate it, perhaps even forced to do so with its given size; using a cul-de-sac on one end and a bike route and parking lot on the other for entry and exit. In addition, the views are so constructed as to not block out the city, but to draw it into view as one takes a seat at one of the benches.

     Kobe Terrace Park has a community garden as well, the view of which was not so clear during the night. This garden represents the blurring of city and country, industry and nature. Lastly, the park during the night, though visibly surrounded by the city, had a distinct separation which allows the observer to, for a short moment, get an outsider's look into the city as a culmination of human cohabitation and daily interactions.


By: Markus Surratt