Developing Tools And Methodologies To Measure The Success Of Public Spaces;Applying In Sana'a City In Yemen

Public space is an important organic component of cities.It represents the lung through which the city breathes,and people in it practice their daily activities and social interactions.Public spaces can provide health benefits,improve health and fitness when used in physical activities,or when people just go outdoors to create a sense of well-being,which is very important with the increasing diseases of the age,such as heart and obesity as a result of new lifestyles.Therefore,calls are continually increasing to raise the efficiency and quality of public spaces and raise their versatility for all society segments.The quality and success of public spaces have been addressed in the previous literature from many aspects and in different ways,including examining user impressions and experiences through questionnaires and interviews,evaluating visual aspects through expert assessments or advanced computer methods,measuring physical quality through direct observation,and measuring the usability of space through direct observation or behavioral maps.Despite this,there are still many issues that are not specifically and comprehensively addressed.The current study identified a set of research gaps related to measuring the quality of public space and proposed a set of tools and methodologies that measure the quality of public space from several aspects.Developing and applying these tools were carried out in four selected public spaces in Sana'a city in Yemen.1.Determining the needs,requirements,and expected experiences of public space users is of great importance in urban design.An inability to provide them is one of the main reasons why many of those spaces fail to cater to needs.Therefore,there is an increasing importance for a deeper understanding of urban environments' needs.Although some studies have discussed users' needs in public space and issued several methodologies and tools to measure certain features of public spaces,a comprehensive quantitative tool to measure the needs and requirements of public spaces' users has not been issued.Therefore,the study tries to develop a tool to measure the extent to which public spaces meet users' needs and requirements.The components and elements of the tool were identified and developed through a set of procedures.The theoretical and practical literature related to public space users' needs,requirements,and preferences have been reviewed.Then,through a comprehensive review,the factors and items of the measurement tool that represent the needs and requirements of space users have been derived.Space users,specialists in architecture and urban design,and experts in the field of the urban environment were involved in the development of the tool.Tool development went through the following validation processes;face validity,content validity index,construct validity of the tool,and internal consistency of items and factors of the tool.The study provided a measuring tool that uses a gap analysis index to determine the difference between the current and the required levels when public spaces meet users' needs.Furthermore,results revealed that there are large gaps between the current and required levels of meeting spaces for users' needs reflected by the deteriorating situation of public spaces in Sana'a city.2.The organization and arrangement of the elements,components,and furniture of public spaces play an important role in the success and use of a particular space.Previous studies that have revealed the relationships between public spaces' characteristics and their use and visiting rates have often pursued multiple research methods,including quantitative and qualitative methods.However,they have all examined space generally,but only some have observed some parts of a space.However,examining the properties of space physical components should not be limited to specific zones in that space,rather it must include all parts and zones of space for it to be examined and studied with high efficiency.The present study examines the relationship between the physical components of public spaces and the density of spatial use(DSU)of each of their zones and considers their intensity of spatial use.Bedimo-Rung Assessment Tool-Direct Observation(BRAT-DO)is used in this study to examine the characteristics of the physical components of spaces,field surveys to determine their DSU and ISU values,and behavioral maps to determine the diversity of the activities in the spaces.Results showed a strong relationship between the DSU and the characteristics of the studied space physical components.The DSU was correlated with four of the five characteristics mentioned in the BRAT-DO tool,i.e.features,conditions,aesthetics,and safety of the spaces.In this part,the study proposed a methodology for measuring the density of use in public spaces.3.The quality of public space has also determined by the kind of activities that occurs in it.When spaces are of low quality,only necessary activities take place.Nonetheless.optional activities of higher quality spaces might occur,leading to an increase in social activities.With regard to this issue,Mehta(2007)released a tool to measure the quality of public spaces that adopt the degree of diversity of use and users and duration of stay in space as indicators to measure the effectiveness of public space.Although Mehta's tool measures social use diversity,it does not measure the intensity of social use diversity and the persistence of diversity during the periods of the day.Likewise,the tool measures the diversity of usage and users.but it does not measure the intensity of this diversity during periods of the day.The tool also measures the duration of stay in space but does not determine whether the duration of stay is equal during periods of the day.Furthermore,it does not address whether the different areas and zones of space are used with the same density and during periods of the day.Determining these indicators in one period of the day may affect the accuracy and objectivity of the results.The current study deals with these issues by adding the spatial dimension and using the time dimension more widely.The study proposes a tool to determine intensity and diversity of use(IDU)that can be an indicator to measure the quality of public space.The developed toll includes seven indicators,which are intensity of temporal use ITU,intensity of spatial use ISU,intensity of social use(ISCU),intensity of age diversity IAD,intensity of gender diversity IGD,intensity of stay(IS),and intensity of activities(IA).The study verified all the variables included in the proposed tool to measure the intensity and diversity of use for a week in each of the selected spaces separately.The surveys included working days and weekends.The variables' results were computed through a set of equations that determine the space efficiency for each variable and then calculate the final rate of the tool.4.Previous studies in urban,architectural,and landscape design have discussed many of the principles and criteria of the visual design and evaluation of public spaces.Due to the similarity,contradiction,and overlap of these criteria and principles,urban developers and designers,architects,and landscape designers still have difficulty selecting the most important visual design principles that evaluating the existing public spaces and producing new public spaces with harmonious visual design.The study examines the extent to which visual design principles promote visual image quality.It tries to explore which are more influential in creating visual harmony,thus enhancing the quality of the visual landscape image.The study mainly dealt with the principles and foundations referred to by Bell with some slight modifications.The study examined how the selected spaces achieve the principles of public spaces' visual design.Through the results of Pearson Correlation Coefficients between the visual design principles and visual harmony,the study listed some of the principles and criteria of visual design which contribute to enhancing the harmony of the visual image and raising the quality of the visual landscape image.These principles and criteria represent the components and elements of the measuring tool,namely the hierarchy.diversity of elements.variety of scales.enclosure,shape and background,the reflection of the two-dimensional configuration in the three-dimensional appearance,and uniqueness of space design.The measuring tool also includes some administrative measures such as maintenance and space being free from elements of visual pollution.In sum,the study presented a set of measuring tools and methodologies to determine public spaces' quality and success.These tools and methodologies are an essential practical contribution that developers and managers of urban environments can use to determine the quality of open environments.The study developed a quantitative tool to determine the gap between the required level and the current level when public spaces meet user needs.Those interested can recognize the difference between what people want from space and what space offer.This knowledge helps to precisely define the required interventions according to the users' desire,thus enhancing the space's use and efficiency.The study also developed a methodology for measuring the density of spatial use and the intensity of spatial use.The two indicators could have a positive correlation with the physical settings of space.The study also develops a tool for measuring the intensity and diversity of use and users that may be related to space quality.These two methodologies support knowledge of people's behavior in public space and its relationship to space quality.The study suggested a set of visual criteria that contribute to enhancing the quality of the visual landscape.These criteria can be used to evaluate and develop the visual aspects of open urban environments.This knowledge enhances the ability of urban designers and architects to design,develop,and evaluate public spaces.