controlinpublicspace

**Research Statement:**
Control - In what ways do signs/rules in public spaces control our how we act in a public space. Do they inhibit our experience or make it better? Also, how does the phyiscal design of the area affect its use?

Background:
To get a good understanding of the topic, I went to three main areas. These areas were Queen Street West (for Nuit Blanche), Nathan Philip's Square/City Hall, and Dundas Square. As well, I took photographs and gathered data on the journey to and from these destinations. I also looked around the York campus for forms of control. I chose these places because I knew that there were lots of ways that the controlled the participants (example: Dundas Square's surveillance).

**Foreword about Topic and Critical Position:**
Control in public space is often a touchy subject. There are those who believe that it is bad: that surveillance, patrolling and other means of control are ultimately changing the way the space is supposed to be used, and making it less public. Then there are those that believe that control is not as bad as it is often said to be, and that without it, public space would be a mess. I fit into the second part of the two sides.

Before my research into the topic, and even during my initial research stages, I had been a part of the "don't control public spaces" team. However, as I learnt more about what controlling public space entailed, I realized that it is not all that bad and that with zero control, public space would be a mess. Just as I am controlling you to read this in a top down manner by arranging my ideas from introduction to more specific terms as it goes down, control in public spaces makes things easier and smoother.

Control in public space can come in a variety of different forms (from the obvious, to the subtle). All spaces are different and therefor require different types of controls. These controls will ultimately determine the language of the space and its use. Even though some forms of control are limiting, they are all valuable for means of safety, comfort, purpose and cleanliness.

Controlling public space isn't done to detriment the spaces. It is always made under the notion of improvement. Whether or not that happens can't always be determined. It is important to keep in mind that when designers are approached to control spaces, they ask themselves questions like these: "How can we make this a special place?... How can the streets and public space be made safer and more pleasant for people? ... How can the place be made more welcoming and easier for people to find their way around? ... How can the place be made adaptable to change in the future? ... What can be done to make the most of public transport?" (242-243 Public Places, Urban Spaces).

Data Collection:
I took pictures of public spaces and they can be seen in this Flickr Stream.

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Opportunities:
For this topic, it might be interesting to talk to security guards and regulators of public space and ask them what their job is, what they are looking for, and how they control space if there is a problem among other things. This way we could learn insight into the operation and then make our own decision on whether it is positive or negative to have them there. Likewise, it would be interesting to explore how heavily public cameras are monitored, who is doing the monitoring, and for what they are looking, so that people could make a more educated decision on surveillance since it is already a hot-topic. Most people don't have a big problem with control when it is soft control (lack or inclusion of seating, restrooms, etc.) and even some hard control (signage, locks) but what they get the most annoyed with is security and cameras, thus looking further into these things would be very interesting.

**Visual Essay:**
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**Resources:**
Kressel, Shirley. "PRIVITIZATING THE PUBLIC REALM." New Democracy World. July-August 1998. 20 September 2007. <[|http://newdemocracyworld.org/space.htm>.]

Matthew Carmona, Tim Heath, Taner Oc, and Steven Tiesdell. __Public Places - Urban Spaces: The Dimensions of Urban Design__. Burlington, MA: Architectural Press, 2003.

"Savage Minds: Notes and Queries in Anthropology - A Group Blog >> Architectures of Control." Savage Minds. 21 July 2007. 25 September 2007. <[|http://savageminds.org/2007/07/21/architectures-of-control/>.]

"The Toronto Public Space Committee: Cameras in Public Spaces - The Process Argument." The Toronto Public Space Committee. 25 September 2007. <[|http://www.publicspace.ca/cameras/info/process.html>.]

"Speak Up 2006 - Does Public Space Really Belong to Everyone?" Vancouver Public Library. 25 September 2007. <[|http://www.vpl.ca/speakup/public-space.html>.]