Sunday Observations

Sitting in Civic Square this afternoon was quite insightful. My notes were so quickly scribbled that I thought I best make some sense of them:

Different groups engaged with the space differently;

Families used it as an opportunity to be active/kick a ball around with their kids, or go for a stroll, the weekend seemed to have brought out a number of young families.

Couples used it as a method of getting from a - b, or as a spot where they could sit and chat.

Individuals often simply passed through or sat down to read a book.

Groups of people used the space to socialise.

The average age looked to be about 20 years old, and young people seemed more interested in using the space in a social way whereas the older people tended to just be moving through.

The green space looks to be well enjoyed and a good addition to the space.

Things we identified that would improve the space:
- street acts
- seating
- lighting (at night especially, the space is inaccessible)
- entry points

I did a few measures and counted 28 people engaging with the space at 2:45pm. 15 minutes later at 3pm there were 38.
We evaluated the reason for this as the fact that there is nothing really on offer to engage people so they are only going to stay for as long as they can hold a conversation or for as long as their food lasts.
There were also a lot of people moving through the space, approx 14 in 1 minute.

Ideas generated whilst evaluating the space:
- fun interactive lighting - think the batman search light
- civic square as an extension of the library - there were plenty of people in the library reading that could've been reading outside in the sunshine/
- there should definitely be an obvious/accessible cafe (the one by the creche is so hidden!
- the space DEFINITELY NEEDS MUSIC!
- create art at each entry point
- pressure sensor lights