William "Holly" Whyte

What makes some plaza’s successful and others not?

What makes you decide to go to a plaza? How about where to sit at the plaza?

In, 1970 William “Holly” Whyte and The Street Life Project Team conducted research to find out why individuals choose to spend time in one plaza over another. Though Whyte’s research is over 40 years old the content is still relevant today, especially since we continue to make the same mistakes he teaches us to avoid in his book and film, The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces. Eventually Whyte’s research and analysis were included in new zoning rules for New York City.

Here are Whyte’s key elements for a successful plaza:

-Seating space proportion: at least 1 square foot of sitting space for every 30 feet of open space.
-Nature implementation: sun exposure, wind and inclusion of water and trees (4 trees for every 1,500 square feet, trees no more than 25 feet apart)
-Food vendors, or food available nearby

-Public Art

Whyte found that the more women in a plaza the safer the environment feels.

Are there any plazas in Chicago that seem to incorporate all of these elements? In general, I feel like we’re missing a lot of seating, especially at Daley and Federal Plaza. And am I the only one waiting for the day we can find street vendors to fill my constant Chicago dog yearnings?

Here's a short clip of the film:

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1979) Short Version | Planum Magazine, Movies Column no.6 from Planum. The Journal of Urbanism