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Week 10: Sitting, Standing, Watching: What I Learned from Public Observation

1. What I Did – The Observation Process For the Public Observation Assignment, I spent two weeks observing how people used a public space on my university campus: the Student Welfare Center Plaza. I visited the space during three different times of day — morning (9–10 a.m.), midday (12–1 p.m.), and afternoon (3–4 p.m.) — on weekdays between April 22 and May 3. Each observation lasted around 30 minutes, and I took notes on how people moved, sat, talked, or passed through the space. I chose this plaza because it’s not only centrally located, but also multifunctional: there are benches, trees, small food carts, open space, and it’s right next to a major footpath. I created a simple map to mark out locations like benches, stairs, and shaded areas. I divided my observations into zones and paid special attention to behaviors like sitting alone vs. sitting in groups, phone usage, sun-seeking vs. shade-seeking, and whether people stayed or just passed through. Most of the time, I observed from...
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Week 8: “Watching People Watching Spaces: Reflections on Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces”

1. What I Read and What It’s About For this blog post, I chose to read William H. Whyte’s The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, a book based on his groundbreaking study of how people use public spaces in cities. I managed to read most of the book — not just the main text, but also watched parts of the film version that accompanies it. It was surprisingly engaging. The writing is accessible, filled with vivid observations, and the research is rooted in real-life behavior, not just theory. Whyte’s core argument is simple but powerful: if you want to understand how cities work, watch how people behave in public spaces. He and his team spent years filming and observing plazas, sidewalks, parks, and other “small urban spaces” in New York City. They analyzed where people sit, how they gather, how they move, and how physical design shapes their choices. What made this book stand out is its emphasis on actual behavior, not idealized urban design. Whyte showed that successful public spaces are...
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Week 13: “What I Learned by Disconnecting from Modern Technology”

1. What I Did – The Challenge of Living Without Modern Technology For the Technology Assignment, I tried something I never thought I could do: I spent one full day without using any technology invented in the 20th or 21st century. That meant no smartphone, no computer, no internet, no electricity, no TV, no modern transportation — basically, nothing that defines my everyday routine. The assignment started from the moment I woke up. Usually, I check my phone first thing in the morning. This time, I used a wind-up alarm clock instead. I brushed my teeth without an electric toothbrush, made instant noodles by boiling water over a gas stove, and spent most of the day reading books, writing by hand, walking instead of taking the bus, and talking to people face-to-face. I planned my day with the mindset of someone living in the early 1900s — not easy for someone so dependent on digital tools. No GPS, no YouTube, no music streaming, no texting. It was like traveling back in time, but with mod...
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Week 16: Understanding How Wikipedia Works: Knowledge, Collaboration, and Power

1. Summary of the Readings and Experience For this post, I want to reflect on what I learned by engaging with Wikipedia — not just as a reader, but as someone who tried to edit and create content. Although I’ve used Wikipedia for years, I had never really thought about how it operates behind the scenes until I tried to contribute myself. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative encyclopedia built by volunteers around the world. Unlike traditional encyclopedias written by experts, Wikipedia allows anyone with internet access to create or edit entries — but this openness is guided by strict community rules. Through this experience, I realized that Wikipedia functions like a self-regulating ecosystem with its own norms, roles, and power dynamics. There are several key policies every editor must follow: neutral point of view, verifiability, and no original research. These principles ensure that Wikipedia articles reflect existing knowledge rather than personal opinions. Every claim needs a reli...
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week16---gaoxiaoxia

 Although I have completed my translation, I found that I still have a lot to learn. Language is the most basic and the most difficult part. Even though I am a native Chinese speaker, I cannot ensure that every sentence is perfect, not to mention that I learned Korean as an adult and I am not good at English at all. Although sometimes with the help of AI and other tools, we can understand different languages, but there are many things that humans cannot do with AI and tools. Humans need to give AI clear guidance and also need to judge whether what AI gives is correct. There is no end to learning languages, and there is no end to learning Wikipedia and other things.
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week16--Edit the Wikipedia entry for Guizhou Province--HE ZIXUAN

 1.Abstract By chance, I participated in the editing of the Wikipedia entry "Guizhou Province". This process not only allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of this colorful land on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, but also made me rethink the issues of collaboration, authority and cognitive bias behind the public knowledge platform. 2.Interesting points Guizhou is one of the provinces with the highest proportion of ethnic minorities in China, but in the original entries, the content related to ethnic culture is a bit simple, especially the festivals, language usage scenarios, and costumes of the Dong and Miao ethnic groups are only briefly described. During the editing process, I tried to add "Dong Nationality Song" as an introduction to intangible cultural heritage, and then I realized that we often ignore these living cultures in mainstream narratives. Information on tourist attractions focuses on "scenery" and lacks "human touch" Fanjing Mounta...
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W12-GUO YINGThe designed park map

  Initial Conceptualization At the beginning of the design, I comprehensively reviewed the park’s functional requirements. A park is not only a recreational venue but also a space for community interaction and ecological preservation. Based on this, I identified the key elements that must be clearly marked on the map: walking paths, playgrounds, fitness areas, picnic spots, water features, restrooms, parking lots, and information kiosks. Considering different visitor groups—for example, families with children who need easy access to playgrounds and restrooms, and joggers who focus on the length and continuity of paths—I aimed to create a map that balances practicality with different users’ browsing habits. Visual Design and Information Presentation To enhance the map’s visual recognition and usability, I paid special attention to color and symbol design. I chose green as the main tone to symbolize the park’s natural ecology, highlighted water features with bright blue, and emphasi...
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