The affordance theory, a combination of environment psychology and art, can be tapped to help make the design of urban neighborhoods more appealing to a community, writes Phil Myrick, MIG’s head of placemaking and performance design.
City planners could learn a lot from the creators of the popular Apple products.
Interface designers make devices user friendly and intuitive to operate, something urban designers can also to up the appeal of a streetscape or a storefront, writes Phil Myrick, head of placemaking and performance design for the firm MIG.
Almost 50 years of research into human and urban environments can be tapped by planners, engineers, and designers to help create urban environments that are appealing and vibrant. The "affordance theory" combines environmental psychology and art to help determine what about design might make a project more appealing to users, according to Myrick.
"Identifying a set of affordances and grouping them strategically is a way to use human nature to draw people to use a place, or an entire streetscape. So a bench, a potted plant, a shop entrance, together with savvy outdoor merchandising and façade detailing creates a world in miniature that pedestrians and shoppers want to explore."
The key is to determine the audience of a particular project to determine which affordances to incorporate into design, he writes.
"Essentially, affordances are a mixture of public and private hooks that are grouped at key locations and properties to help furnish outdoor rooms – rooms that enhance the building and the block in terms of brand, attraction, and performance (including more foot traffic and retail sales)."
FULL STORY: High performance streets: The new cutting edge of urban design
The Responsibility of the Building to the Street
Structural engineers are responsible for ensuring that buildings do not fall over. Mechanical engineers must ensure that people inside can breathe. But what responsibility do building designers have to the street outside?
Finding New Uses for the 'Vine That Ate the South'
Visually striking and aggressively invasive, kudzu has been choking the Southeast for decades. Now, designers, chefs, and activists want to find ways to make it useful.
A Nation of 60 Million on Lockdown
Should the United States be watching Italy for lessons on how to contain and mitigate the coronavirus?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.
Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.
Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.
MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.
Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Caltrans
City of Fort Worth
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie