The Design of Everyday Places

Our main task in our RE:Studio class this week was to leverage the power of observation. It sounded like a basic request, but can you think of the last time you intentionally observed something at half-hour increments? No phones, no distractions and no, observing Netflix from your living room couch doesn’t count.

The Space
I chose to observe a designated school bus stop in the Glendale neighborhood. I often see kids, and sometimes their parents, outside waiting for the school bus. This is a problematic area because children are waiting next to a busy street. Was it creepy to stalk kids and their parents at a bus stop? Yes, I felt a little weird about it. However, this is a good example of a space that was not intended to be a school bus hub, but it does serve that purpose.

The Intention of the Space
Based on my observations, a safe gathering space for children was not embedded into the design of this complex. Between 7:15am and 7:30am around 20 children swarm around the end of the driveway with only a sidewalk between them and a stream of cars passing by. I observed many kids running around and playing, while others waited next to their mom or dad. I imagine that this is a pretty common situation for kids in this neighborhood and throughout the Denver metro area.

As a parking lot alone, this space is very functional and serves the purpose one would expect. The parking lot was busy in the morning and around 5:00pm as people were likely going to and from work. I wasn’t able to make it back when school was out, but this would be another important time to observe how people are interacting in this space.

Potential Solutions

Plan Before You Build
A perfect world scenario would be to include safe spaces for bus stops in the design of apartment complexes like Greentree Village. This could be a location that provides some activity and shelter far enough away from the street that nobody would have to worry about traffic.

Create a New Space
Considering a re-build is clearly not an option at this point, it there a way to re-envision the current space? Would the apartment complex be able to designate a few parking spaces away from the road as a place for the kids to wait for the bus? Perhaps a small shelter could be built there to protect the kids when there is bad weather?

Create a Barrier
There is a small area in front of the “Greentree Village” sign where a fence could be erected. This would provide a bit more safety between the kids and the road.

Other Locations
I would be interested in spending more time around the complex to see if there are more ideal waiting spots. Could a playground be built closer to the apartment buildings drawing children away from the road? Does one already exist? More in-depth research could illuminate other possible safe spaces around that currently exist.

In closing, there are many challenges and opportunities in the physical spaces that surround us. Observation is a great first step in better understanding the problem and exploring potential solutions.

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