PLAN for a PLAYFUL CITY: a TYPOLOGY of LUDIC WAYS to INCREASE PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY By: Gabrielle M. Donoff a Thesis Submitted To
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PLAN FOR A PLAYFUL CITY: A TYPOLOGY OF LUDIC WAYS TO INCREASE PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY By: Gabrielle M. Donoff A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies University of Manitoba In partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF CITY PLANNING Department of City Planning Faculty of Architecture University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2014 by Gabrielle M. Donoff ABSTRACT This research explores play as a motivator for pedestrian activity. A typology of playful pedestrian motivators grew from a literature review of walkability and public space, design for winter cities, and the developing concept of ludic cities (spaces guiding spontaneous and undirected playfulness). The typology was tested through comparison across 27 cases of playful urban pedestrian interventions. This process highlights what play can contribute to urban form, and what might be missing from standardized processes of designing, creating and evaluating pedestrian space. The analysis highlights key processes and design elements for incorporating play into the urban environment. I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to extend my thanks to the many people who helped make this project an enriching and productive learning experience. I am privileged to have worked with so many inspiring and committed professionals during this work. Thank you to Dr. Rae Bridgman, my trusted mentor and advisor for this thesis. Your creativity, encouragement, and wisdom are inspiring, and I am lucky to be partnered with such a well-versed and kind faculty member. Thanks also to Dr. Richard Milgrom, for pushing this research to its most productive form, and for supporting this work within the Department of City Planning. Thank you also to Dr. Ann Marie Murnaghan, for your continued support and encouragement. Thank you also to my City Planning peers and faculty for passing along relevant findings and offering your support. The encouraging nature of this department will guide my approach to collaborative work throughout my career. A special thank you to the best papa ever, Dr. Michel Donoff: for all of your acknowledged professional and academic successes, it means the world to me that I can share this academic debut of mine with the presence of your creative expression across these pages. Thank you so much for illustrating this work and enlivening this project where words could not. Thank you also to the many designers and photographers who gave me permission to reproduce their photographs, and a special thanks to those who also offered up high quality versions. I would also like to acknowledge the support I have received from the University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowship, and the Corrigill Scholarship in City Planning. Thank you especially to my family and friends for supporting me all the way. I hope in turn I can inspire your lives in a ludic way! Thank you! II TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract I Acknowledgements II Table of contents III List of tables V List of figures VI List of copyright material for which permission was obtained VIII CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Background 2 1.3 Research questions 4 1.4 Significance of research 4 1.5 Assumptions and limitations 6 1.6 Overview of thesis 8 CHAPTER II: METHODS 2.1 Theoretical framework 9 2.2 Research field 10 2.3 Literature review 10 2.4 Typology 12 2.5 Visual representations 15 2.6 Analysis 16 2.7 Ethics 17 CHAPTER III: LITERATURE REVIEW 3.1 Introduction 18 3.2 Good planning: Walkability and public space 18 3.3 Design for winter cities 33 3.4 Urban play: Ludic cities 47 3.5 Summary 60 CHAPTER IV: FINDINGS 4.1 Definition of a ludic pedestrian motivator 66 4.2 Typology 67 4.3 Applying the typology to cases 69 4.4 Trends 129 4.5 A typology of ludic ways to increase pedestrian activity 136 CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION 5.1 Implications for planning practice 139 5.2 Recommendations for future study 142 5.3 Conclusion 145 III REFERENCES 151 APPENDIX Appendix A: Copyright permission request sample letter 162 IV LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Elements of design to encourage pedestrian activity 61 Table 2: Elements of design to encourage pedestrian activity in winter cities 63 Table 3: Ludic elements of design to encourage pedestrian activity 65 Table 4: Design elements summarized from case examples 130 V LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Typology of element types for ludic pedestrian motivators 68 Figure 2: 21 Balançoires (21 Swings) 71 Figure 3: 21 Balançoires (21 Swings) 71 Figure 4: 99 Tiny Games by Hide & Seek 74 Figure 5: Boom Bench by NL Architects 76 Figure 6: Boom Bench by NL Architects 76 Figure 7: Chatterbox by SoulPancake 78 Figure 8: Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor 80 Figure 9: Das Netz by NL Architects 82 Figure 10: Das Netz by NL Architects 82 Figure 11: Das Netz by NL Architects 83 Figure 12: Entree Station Overvecht/ Transit Accelerator by HIK Ontwerpers 85 Figure 13: Fire hydrant-cum-water-fountain by Thor ter Kulve 87 Figure 14: In Orbit by Tomas Saraceno 89 Figure 15: In Orbit by Tomas Saraceno 89 Figure 16: In Orbit by Tomas Saraceno 90 Figure 17: In Orbit by Tomas Saraceno 90 Figure 18: La Ville Molle (The Soft City) by Raum 92 Figure 19: Limelight by Sans Façon 94 Figure 20: Limelight by Sans Façon 94 Figure 21: Mario Kart Bike Lane 96 Figure 22: Moving Forest by NL Architects 98 Figure 23: Moving Forest by NL Architects 98 Figure 24: Moving Forest by NL Architects 99 Figure 25: Off-Ground by Jair Straschnow and Giette Nygaard 101 Figure 26: Off-Ground by Jair Straschnow and Giette Nygaard 101 Figure 27: Park and slide by Luke Jerram 103 Figure 28: Park and slide by Luke Jerram 103 Figure 29: Piano Stairs 105 Figure 30: Pinball Exercise Machine by Omar Sotomayor 107 Figure 31: Playground by The Wa 109 Figure 32: Playground by The Wa 109 Figure 33: Pop up Swing by Thor ter Kulve 111 Figure 34: Pulse of the City by George Zisiadis 113 Figure 35: Pulse of the City by George Zisiadis 113 Figure 36: Red Swing Project 115 Figure 37: Roombeek The Brook by Buro Sant en Co 117 Figure 38: Sonus Loci by Stantec and Leanne Zacharias 119 Figure 39: Sonus Loci by Stantec and Leanne Zacharias 119 Figure 40: Stairway cinema by Oh.No.Sumo 121 Figure 41: Stairway cinema by Oh.No.Sumo 121 Figure 42: Stairway cinema by Oh.No.Sumo 122 Figure 43: Stairway cinema by Oh.No.Sumo 122 Figure 44: Tent Pile by Formlessfinder 124 Figure 45: Tent Pile by Formlessfinder 124 VI Figure 46: Whoopdeedoo by Greg Papove 126 Figure 47: Whoopdeedoo by Greg Papove 126 Figure 48: Zet die knop om! Switch that button! By HIK Ontwerpers 128 Figure 49: Zet die knop om! Switch that button! By HIK Ontwerpers 128 Figure 50: A typology of ludic ways to increase pedestrian activity 138 VII LIST OF COPYRIGHT MATERIAL FOR WHICH PERMISSION WAS OBTAINED Figure 2 (page 71): 21 Balançoires (21 Swings). Reproduced with permission granted on February 2, 2014: Blouin, O. (2013). 21 Balançoires. Daily Tous Les Jours. Retrieved from http://www.dailytouslesjours.com/project/21-balancoires/. See also www.olivierblouin.com. Figure 3 (page 71): 21 Balançoires (21 Swings). Reproduced with permission granted on February 2, 2014: Blouin, O. (2013). 21 Balançoires. Daily Tous Les Jours. Retrieved from http://www.dailytouslesjours.com/project/21-balancoires/. See also www.olivierblouin.com Figure 4 (page 74): 99 Tiny Games by Hide & Seek. Reproduced with permission granted on June 19, 2014: Donoff, M. (2014) [personal sketch]. Figure 5 (page 76): Boom Bench by NL Architects. Reproduced with permission granted on April 14, 2014: NL Architects. (2008). Boom Bench. Projects. From http://www.nlarchitects.nl/projects/ Figure 6 (page 76): Boom Bench by NL Architects. Reproduced with permission granted on April 14, 2014: NL Architects. (2008). Boom Bench. Projects. From http://www.nlarchitects.nl/projects/ Figure 7 (page 78): Chatterbox by SoulPancake. Reproduced with permission granted on June 19, 2014: Donoff, M. (2014). [Personal sketch]. Figure 8 (page 80): Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor. Reproduced with permission granted on June 19, 2014: Donoff, D. (2013). [Personal photograph]. Figure 9 (page 82): Das Netz by NL Architects. Reproduced with permission granted on April 14, 2014: NL Architects. (2006). Das netz. Projects. From http://www.nlarchitects.nl/projects/ Figure 10 (page 82): Das Netz by NL Architects. Reproduced with permission granted on April 14, 2014: NL Architects. (2006). Das netz. Projects. From http://www.nlarchitects.nl/projects/ Figure 11 (page 83): Das Netz by NL Architects. Reproduced with permission granted on April 14, 2014: NL Architects. (2006). Das netz. Projects. From http://www.nlarchitects.nl/projects/ Figure 12 (page 85): Entrée Station Overvecht/ Transit Accelerator by HIK Ontwerpers. Reproduced with permission granted on April 9, 2014: HIK Ontwerpers. (2014a). Entrée Station Overvecht. Retrieved from http://www.hik-ontwerpers.nl/projecten/entree- station-overvecht/ VIII Figure 13 (Page 87): Fire hydrant-cum-water fountain by Thor ter Kulve. Reproduced with permission granted on April 3, 2014: Thor ter Kulve. (2012). Fire hydrant water fountain. Photograph by Florestan Korp. Retrieved from http://www.thorterkulve.nl Figure 14 (page 89): In Orbit by Tomas Saraceno. Saraceno, T. (2013). In Orbit. Licensed by Creative Commons by NC ND 3.0. Retrieved from http://www.tomassaraceno.com Figure 15 (page 89): In Orbit by Tomas Saraceno. Saraceno, T. (2013). In Orbit. Licensed by Creative Commons by NC ND 3.0. Retrieved from http://www.tomassaraceno.com Figure 16 (page 90): In Orbit by Tomas Saraceno. Saraceno, T. (2013). In Orbit. Licensed by Creative Commons by NC ND 3.0.