At the margins of ordered freedom : the problem of the sidewalk as public space in New York

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the historical planning discourse concerning New York City's sidewalks. It focuses on the forces within the city that have shaped the sidewalk and attitudes towards it, and the translation of theory and ideals regarding this key public space into planning policy. The sidewalk is defined morphologically by its existence in the marginal space between buildings and road, representing powerful private and public interests respectively. It is demonstrated that key moments in the history of New York's planning affecting the sidewalk were defined by negotiations between these two forces - and conditioned by their agreement over the vision for a lei sured pedestrian experience. These measures, including the invention of new typologies of cleansed public space away from the sidewalk, represent the embodiment of what is termed a 'scientific' form of planning - which seeks to provide rational solutions - such as efficient circulation and increased light and air - to the problem of the city as a system. The work of Jane Jacobs and William Whyte in the 1960s is studied since it represents a critical engagement with the sidewalk, and a reaction against the 'scientific' planning orthodoxy exemplified by the public housing projects of Robert Moses. Jacobs' reappraisal of the social qualities of the existing sidewalks contributed to a reversal of attitudes towards public space within the city; Whyte then aided their translation into planning policy by retroactively applying these criteria to the city's invented typologies of public space. The study then charts the subsequent development of ideas and planning policies, culminating in the contemporary revitalization of the sidewalk through the Business Improvement District. It demonstrates that through the contesting of its legacy, the work of Jacobs and Whyte has suffered a distortion through its assimilation into the older trends which have shaped New York City's sidewalks - the public interest in efficient circulation and the private concern for profitability through attracting customers, both of which ultimately aspire to cleanse and smooth the experience of the city.