My thoughts after reading White's "The Social Life of a Small City"2021008895 LYU YANGCHENG
I read Chapters 6 to 11 and the appendix of "The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces", and read about half of the book as a whole. This part mainly focuses on the key findings made by White through observation, such as: Why do people choose a certain space to stay? What kind of design can attract people to stop and talk, eat, or even just sit and stare?
This book is unexpectedly interesting. White does not use theory to talk about big principles, but is like an urban detective, using a camera and a pen to record every little detail in the urban space. He tells us: It is not that the bigger the square, the better, but the closer it is to people, the better. The discussion about "movable seats" in the book impressed me - people actually like the freedom to decide where to sit and who to sit with.
Although this book was published in the late 1970s, I think it is still very valuable for current urban design, public space and even social behavior research. Especially for social science students in the 2020s, this book is a good reminder: no matter how complex the theory is, it cannot be separated from people's own life.
We are often used to studying society with "questionnaires" and "data", but White can draw very specific and instructive conclusions by "looking" - seeing how people use space, when they gather and when they leave. This method of observation and recording may be the most easily overlooked but most inspiring way of social research for students today.
In general, this book is not difficult to read, but it requires patience and thinking while reading. I would recommend it to all students who are interested in space, behavior, and design. It is not a book that only talks about "how to build space", but a book that makes people rethink "why people are willing to stay".
发送反馈
侧边栏
历史记录
已保存
Comments
Post a Comment