UR: Public Space Assessment (Design, Governance, and Performance of Public Space) Public spaces comprise the most visible and material aspect of our civic commons. These places are the venue for everyday life, civic engagement, celebration and protest. Designers can exert critical influence over the success of public space, not only through the application of their design skills but through effective understanding of the social systems, stewardship regimes, and human uses of these places. In order for design iteration in the material and aesthetic dimensions the public realm (through techniques such as 'tactical urbanism' and 'urban prototyping') to render inclusive and egalitarian benefits to civil society, project performance must be evaluated routinely through a nuanced understanding of existing and emergent human use patterns with the goal of fulfilling future social needs of the place. This methodology - the Public Space / Public Life Study - is a valuable framework for generating design and program concepts for our shared commons. In this seminar, students will acquire unique skills for practical application in their own work as social impact designers, architects, and citybuilders. The course will address 1) learning how to use a suite of hands-on tools for effective pre- and post-occupancy evaluation of public space, 2) understanding the basic principles of research design using reliable and replicable techniques that produce valid results, 3) mapping and critiquing governance systems associated with public spaces, and 4) developing foundational fluency in urbanism theory as pertains to the production and reproduction of culture through design of the public realm. This will be achieved through interactive tutorials, in-field public space / public life study of a site or sites in San Francisco, expert guest lectures, focused readings and class-led discussions.

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