I really enjoyed the walk on the first day on the river front. While walking it was interesting to see the way that different public spaces were utilized. One area that stood out to me was the skate area underneath the overpass. This skate park seemed to be informal and created more from the topography of the space with a few ramps added in. This differs from American skate areas with more man-made elements. Also this area was a great way to utilize a space that might have been less desirable for a building. Furthermore, this area will keep skaters off of other rails and benches and create another attraction on the water front.
Shauna, I definitely agree with the big difference in the way public spaces are utilized! One major thing I noticed was the way that corner buildings, most of the time, round off to open up the street corners! This makes a big difference in even just the feel of the space not only in how it looks. Another major thing to notice is the fact that their transportation differences play a big part in how they organize the city spaces. Because of the popularity of the tube, I feel like more pedestrian space between buildings and away from the streets has been created. In comparison to America they have many more highly used parks/ organized gardens/ public squares all in the heart of the city. This is an interesting dynamic to London and I believe all of this open landscaping adds to the beauty of the area!
I really enjoyed the walk on the first day on the river front. While walking it was interesting to see the way that different public spaces were utilized. One area that stood out to me was the skate area underneath the overpass. This skate park seemed to be informal and created more from the topography of the space with a few ramps added in. This differs from American skate areas with more man-made elements. Also this area was a great way to utilize a space that might have been less desirable for a building. Furthermore, this area will keep skaters off of other rails and benches and create another attraction on the water front.
Shauna, I definitely agree with the big difference in the way public spaces are utilized! One major thing I noticed was the way that corner buildings, most of the time, round off to open up the street corners! This makes a big difference in even just the feel of the space not only in how it looks. Another major thing to notice is the fact that their transportation differences play a big part in how they organize the city spaces. Because of the popularity of the tube, I feel like more pedestrian space between buildings and away from the streets has been created. In comparison to America they have many more highly used parks/ organized gardens/ public squares all in the heart of the city. This is an interesting dynamic to London and I believe all of this open landscaping adds to the beauty of the area!