Artefact 5: Urban Space Design & Technology

After studying Market Square for patterns in mobile communication useage and a possible fragmentation in society I found that the majority of wireless communication occurred around the lion statues in Market Square, this seemed to be the biggest hotspot for wireless communication, perhaps it is the most ideal meeting area for people to congregate.

I found that the seated areas to the side attracted large numbers of mobile communication users who seemed to be happily chatting away for a large number of minutes, it also attracted laptop users usually of the business demographic.

It appears that workers are now working more hours and in every possible location, this perpetual contact I feel is fragmenting our society because business is getting in the way of leisure and family time.

For the design of the space I found a resource which indicates the area has been designed to attract users more centrally to the square, this may have been a technological decision because of the high uses of mobile communication today, perhaps it was designed as a gathering point for business & leisure.

I managed to gather some data on the old market square compared to the new market square and it seems some research was taken as to the routes pedestrians took with the old layout, which involved a lot of 'desire-lines' (lines pedestrians take opposed to what was planned on paper.)

Taken from Space Syntax (2007):

Nottingham's Old Market Square reopens after layout redesign.

Old Market Square, the main public space in the heart of Nottingham, England has reopened following a two-year, fast-track process of design, planning and construction. Space Syntax gave advice to lead designers Gustafson Porter on the design of the overall layout.

Our survey of previous use patterns that showed 78% of pedestrians avoided the heart of the space. Computer analysis of the pedestrian route network of central Nottingham showed how the old design of the square inhibited pedestrian "desire lines".

In the new design simple, highly accessible routes pass through the square from corner to corner, bringing pedestrian animation to the very centre.

Neil Porter of Gustafson Porter said:

"Space Syntax's analysis and design contribution helped unlock the scheme. The evidence they presented proved critical in promoting our design and convincing people that it would work."