public life survey: end street park

End Street Park, Doornfontein, Inner City Johannesburg
Global Urbanism Studio, Washington University in St. Louis, Summer 2017

**group research + documentation + publication

individual role: I was the surveyor for location #7 in which I collected hourly data on both days of the public life survey. I designed the necessary graph and data templates for the entire survey group. I was also responsible for compiling survey information from all survey points into the “snapshot” view reports. Additionally, I was responsible for overall document editing and print production for the final publication.

The objective of a Public Life Survey is to observe, measure, and quantify daily life within a specified area over the course of a day. Through the careful observation of daily life the dynamics and set of actors that unfold within the public space provide clues to how it space is negotiated. The premise of the Public Life Survey was to test the hypothesis of whether End Street Park served as an inclusive and diverse space, as claimed by the City of Johannesburg.

The study was conducted on both Saturday July 15th, 2017 and Monday July 17th, 2017 in order to compare results between a weekend and a normal weekday. Such study involved occupying strategic locations (see report) over the course of a full-day (~12 hours) to experience the full temporal range and shifting demographics that accompany the opening and closing of shops, the circulation flows (vehicular and pedestrian), activities within the park among other aspects. Qualitative data was collected through photographs and informal interviews with pedestrians, shop owners, and employees.

Quantitative documentation was gathered through the precise drawing of the public space and notation of the various ways in which people occupied the space including: time of day, type of activities, duration of use, and group size. Race, gender and age were chosen as the key measurement characteristics to measure and test whether End Street Park acts as a space of inclusivity. These characteristics were chosen because of their significance and correlation to perceived safety and fear, economic status, education levels, and diversity and historical overtones in South Africa.

the publication.

The following pages couple the experience of us urban observers [students] with our careful notations to reveal the publicness of End Street Park

***this publication was produced in conjunction with Washington University in St. Louis' Master of Urban Design Program during its Summer 2017 Global Urbanism Studio in Johannesburg, South Africa.  Faculty Advisors: Dr. John Hoal, Chair, Master of Urban Design, Washington University in St. Louis; Jonathan Stitelman, Lecturer, Washington University in St. Louis; Ferdinand Le Grange, Lecturer, Washington University in St. Louis. Students: Alsaeed, Yousif; Chen, Si; Gao, Yaning; Kelkar, Supriya; Li, Tuoxin; Liu, Xiaoyu; Murray, Laura; Ni, Yafeng; Rodarte, César; Samarajiva, Anu; Sheng, Xinxuan; Wang, Zhaoyue; Witschen, Stacy; Yan, Bingqing