Lincoln Center
Photographed June 19, 2010
The buildings of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts form a u-shape around the ceremonial plaza. Visitors and patrons who enter are brought up shallow steps that lead to a grand fountain in the plaza's center.
65th St. is the path that extends between Alice Tully Hall and The Julliard School. It terminates just before the Hudson River on the west and continues through Central Park on the east. 65th St. provides the linear anchor for the elevated park, shallow pool and social allee that exist between Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. At just this one site Lincoln Center consumes three city blocks; outdoor social space encourages constant pedestrian traffic which is vital to maintaining safety since shows occur in the evening and indoors.
Returning to William Whyte's prescriptive list for successful urban social spaces: opportunities for seating - visitors can choose to sit on the elevated park, in chairs provided under the allee of tree cover and along the edge of rectangular planters that help frame the tree allee; close proximity to the street - the promenade leading to the nucleus of activity abuts the sidewalk and street; sunlight - direct sunlight extends across the majority of the outdoor space though some sun angles are obstructed by relatively low building heights. sunlight is diffused by tree cover along the tree allee; opportunities for food - some white tents house food vendors; water feature - though not an interactive water feature, a long, orthogonal and shallow pool with a large sculpture at its eastern edge is present; trees and tree cover - a tree allee covers a gravel path, tables and seating; elements that encourage congregation - visitors choose to engage and congregate on the elevated park, around tables and chairs within the tree allee and at the tents of vendors.
This is a successful social space which reaches out to people of different economic backgrounds promoting safety and engagement. The form of the social space reinforces function and social engagement. The urban design in this instance was a reformation of the existing space in order to meet the needs of the owners and patrons of Lincoln Center.
65th St. is the path that extends between Alice Tully Hall and The Julliard School. It terminates just before the Hudson River on the west and continues through Central Park on the east. 65th St. provides the linear anchor for the elevated park, shallow pool and social allee that exist between Alice Tully Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. At just this one site Lincoln Center consumes three city blocks; outdoor social space encourages constant pedestrian traffic which is vital to maintaining safety since shows occur in the evening and indoors.
Returning to William Whyte's prescriptive list for successful urban social spaces: opportunities for seating - visitors can choose to sit on the elevated park, in chairs provided under the allee of tree cover and along the edge of rectangular planters that help frame the tree allee; close proximity to the street - the promenade leading to the nucleus of activity abuts the sidewalk and street; sunlight - direct sunlight extends across the majority of the outdoor space though some sun angles are obstructed by relatively low building heights. sunlight is diffused by tree cover along the tree allee; opportunities for food - some white tents house food vendors; water feature - though not an interactive water feature, a long, orthogonal and shallow pool with a large sculpture at its eastern edge is present; trees and tree cover - a tree allee covers a gravel path, tables and seating; elements that encourage congregation - visitors choose to engage and congregate on the elevated park, around tables and chairs within the tree allee and at the tents of vendors.
This is a successful social space which reaches out to people of different economic backgrounds promoting safety and engagement. The form of the social space reinforces function and social engagement. The urban design in this instance was a reformation of the existing space in order to meet the needs of the owners and patrons of Lincoln Center.
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