EVALUATION OF OUTDOOR INTERACTIVE SPACES

IN HIGH RISE HOUSING.

Prerana Mulay
Student of architecture at Dr.B.N. College of architecture , pune .
ABSTRACT :

There is a growing concern about socialization in high-density communities. Relationships

between residents are likely to become more estranged with many people in modern cities
experiencing a feeling of isolation and loneliness, lack of social ties, and hostility to community.
The relationship between outdoor space and a residential building may have a significant
impact on the level of social activities. In improving the level of social contact in public
outdoor space outside a residential community, the challenge is how to encourage people to
leave their comfortable homes and spend a short time in these public spaces. For residential
buildings and public space to be treated as an integrated whole, the outdoor open spaces close
to and surrounding these buildings must have a more welcoming design. The study aims to
identify how the characteristics of shared outdoor spaces in housing society influence
residents to interact with one another. A key objective is to discover where people often meet
in public outdoor spaces near high-density urban residential communities, and what social
activities often happen, and to identify the characteristics of good meeting spaces.

KEYWORDS – High-rise apartments, Communal space, outdoor spaces, Design, Sustainable

development.

INTRODUCTION –

The social activities in public outdoor spaces have not been emphasized enough in community
design, because community designers usually pay attention to form rather than activities of
public outdoor spaces. In modern urban design, zoning is popular but separates people into
homogenous groups and often results in poor social activities in communities. On the other
hand, the need for privacy encourages people to maintain a distance from each other.
Furthermore, the modern residence provides a self-sufficient home for people and separates
families from society. One of the solutions for this social problem is mixed usage of the public
space that not only values social diversity but can encourage residents to interact in positive
ways. What is known is that people cope with stressful lives by turning to others. Social
support has been defined as the information from others that one is loved and cared for,
esteemed and valued, and part of a network of communication and mutual obligation. It is
from this point that facilitating social interaction in high-density residential communities is
assumed to be beneficial to local inhabitants in coping with stressful lifestyles. Staying in a
public space is a starting point of physical contact. When a person stays in outdoor space
watching passing pedestrians, he/she enhances the opportunity for social interaction suggests
some factors such as seats, fruit trees, water and legibility of spaces encourage people to stay
in public outdoor spaces. Furthermore, these activities can attract more activities. However,
surveys have found well defined public outdoor spaces can increase the sense of territory and
encourage the connection between residents.

AIM-
The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between the outdoor space design
of high-rise housing complexes and the resident’s social interaction. The types of outdoor
space and the elements of the space types of high-rise housing complexes are closely
examined to understand their effects on resident’s social interaction. The findings of the
study should provide insights for designers regarding the design of outdoor spaces of high-
density housing projects to enhance social behavior among the residents.

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY-
1. to study type of social activities.
2. Characteristics of the outdoor spaces that includes type, form, size, location etc.
3. to study the interaction between outdoor spaces such as swimming pool, playground,club
house and high rise buildings.
4. to study people flow in outdoor spaces.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS –

• Where do people interact in high rise buildings?

• What are different interactive spaces ?

LITERATURE REVIEW-

The public spaces of high-rise complexes are essential places that enable residents to
establish
social interaction and recognition. In other words, they can become interactional spaces.
Residential outdoor spaces are an extension of living space and part of the home In fact, the
most valued urban open spaces are not those that are significant or large, and away from
home but those that are familiar and close .Most people use open spaces that are close to
home. Open spaces in neighborhoods play an important role in establishing residents’ sense
of neighboring
Basically, outdoor spaces of high-rise clustered housing are limited to use by the residents.
From this viewpoint, they are private to the residents. Looking within each housing project,
these spaces can be used by all the residents and are public to them. Therefore, they are
semi-public spaces and can become activity nodes that provide the greatest opportunity for
access and exposure . In addition, they are buffer zones between the outside world and the
housing communities. They possess the quality of defensible space Space layouts, design
elements, and social activities in outdoor spaces Three types of activity in outdoor public
spaces have been identified by Gehl (1987). They are necessary activity, optional activity,
and social activity. Accordingly, each type of activity requires certain physical settings to
facilitate their occurrence in the spaces, and the physical environments needed for different
types of activity are significantly different from each other. Among them, social activity
mainly refers to the inter-action that people engage in (such as
playing with others, greeting others, and talking to others. Even passive contacts, such as
eye contact and nodding, watching events, and listening to others, are considered as social
activities The common areas between the houses have been found to be an important feature
that affordssocial activities in neighborhoods .
Effective activity nodes have a central location and easy access, few visual boundaries to the
potential users, and are on main routes. Therefore, well-planned outdoor spaces of high-rise
complexes can become effective activity nodes that facilitate residents’ daily informal
contacts.The design of outdoor spaces for high-rise complexes is important not only for
legal and environmental considerations but also from the perspective of social concern.
Successful public spaces of high-rise housing can provide opportunities for res-idents to
have substantial contact and the sense of neighboring can then be fostered. Furthermore,
good public spaces can
improve the quality of living in urban, high-density environments.
METHODOLOGY
Three sources of information are going to be used, namely, observations of residents
activities in and use of common outdoor spaces, design characteristics of the neighborhood,
and a questionnaire survey that involved a sample of residents living in the society.
The context of observations includes the number of users, user’s gender, user’s age range
(elderly, middle-age, young adult, and children), movement flow, and information on
outdoor space uses. Three different buildings will be considered for observation. These
observation spaces will be the main public outdoor spaces outside each community.
These communities will be selected as comparable samples based on differences in outdoor
layout and design elements. Observations will be conducted for four days outside each of the
three buildings, including two workdays (Thursday and Friday) and a weekend (Saturday
and Sunday). For each selected community, a main observation space will be chosen.
These observation spaces will be the main public outdoor spaces outside each community
containing main entrances and facilities such as cafes, gardens and seating. It should be
noted that the same people who occupied two or more activities at different times will be
counted more than once. Observations are going to be limited to those activities that
involved two or more people in the space.
For example, people walking directly through a corner of the observed space will not be
considered. Some complex activities such as a person standing, talking on a phone, and
watching at the same time will be classified as standing. The activities like directly going to
the shop and ATM will not included. Such similar activities which will be short term will
not be considered in the observations.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES -
The study will explore the relationship between social activities of residents and the physical
environment in high-density urban residential communities.
The relationship between mixed land uses and social interaction were the facilities inserted
into the neighborhood sufficient and successful in working. Degree of social interaction
needs to be found.
General idea about the socioeconomic levels of the people staying in the housing society.
Observations of the residents taking part in the social interactions at per age groups as well
as time.
REFERENCES

1. Naceur Farida., September 2013., Effects of outdoor shared spaces on social

interaction in a housing estate in Algeria, Department of Architecture, University of Batna,
Batna.

2. Shu-Chun Lucy Huang., July 2005., A study of outdoor interactional spaces in high-
rise housing., Department of Tourism, Shih-Hsin University.
3. Wei Zhang and Gillian Lawson., Meeting and Greeting: activities in public outdoor
spaces outside high-density urban residential communities., School of Design, Faculty of
Built Environment and Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD
4001, Australia.
4. Loren March, Ute Lehrer., July 2019., Verticality, Public Space and the Role of
Resident Participation in Revitalizing Suburban High-rise Buildings., Canadian journal of
urban research, University of Toronto, York University.
SYNTHESIS
 EVALUATION OF OUTDOOR INTERACTIVE SPACES IN HIGH RISE HOUSING INTRODUCTION

There is a growing concern about socialization in high-density communities. Relationships between

residents are likely to become more estranged with many people in modern cities experiencing a
feeling of isolation and loneliness, lack of social ties, and hostility to the community. The relationship
between outdoor space and a residential building may have a significant impact on the level of social
activities. In improving the level of social contact in public outdoor spaces outside a residential
community, the challenge is how to encourage people to leave their comfortable homes and spend a
short time in these public spaces. For residential buildings and public space to be treated as an
integrated whole, the outdoor open spaces close to and surrounding these buildings must have a
more welcoming design. In modern urban design, zoning is popular but separates people into
homogenous groups and often results in poor social activities in communities. On the other hand,
the need for privacy encourages people to maintain a distance from each other. Furthermore, the
modern residence provides a self-sufficient home for people and separates families from society.
One of the solutions for this social problem is mixed public space usage that values social diversity
and can encourage residents to interact in positive ways.

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between the outdoor space design of
high-rise housing complexes and the resident’s social interaction. The types of outdoor space and
the elements of the space types of high-rise housing complexes are closely examined to understand
their effects on residents’ social interaction. The findings of the study should provide insights for
designers regarding the design of outdoor spaces of high-density housing projects to enhance social
behavior among the residents. The key objective is to discover where people often meet in public
outdoor spaces near high-density urban residential communities, what social activities often
happen, and to identify the characteristics of good meeting spaces.

• The first paper aims to identify how the characteristics of shared outdoor spaces in housing
estates influence residents to interact with one another. The study focuses on a housing
project situated in a Z.H.U.N of Biskra, a middle city in South-eastern Algeria, located around
430 Km south of Algeria. The investigation draws on two sources of information,
observations of how the residents use their neighbourhood spaces and a questionnaire
survey with residents about the perceived adequacy of these spaces for social interaction.
The survey was used to collect information on the profile of the population and the attitude
of residents toward neighbours and their uses of common outdoor spaces. Questionnaires
were designed to gather information on the respondents' perceptions of the adequacy of
outdoor spaces for social interaction. Housing samples were taken from a total of 1000
identified housing units within the study area. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the total
housing units were selected. Data were collected from flat owners in the apartment blocks
that were surrounded by open spaces. A total of 250 housing units were drawn from a
random sampling of the neighborhood. Out of the 250 questionnaires administered to
household heads, only 230 were retrieved for data analysis. Out of the 230 respondents, 72
said that they have friends in the neighborhood. The respondents were also asked how
often they visit their neighbors: 60.9% said they often or sometimes visit their neighbors,
23.9% said they seldom visit their neighbors and 15.2% said they never visit their neighbors.
Among the respondents, 45.6% said that death, marriage ceremonies, or illnesses are the
only opportunities for social contact with neighbors. Meanwhile, 43.5% of the respondents
reported frequent, personal exchanges with neighbors. Results of observation and
questionnaire survey showed a very low rate of use of the outdoor spaces which
demonstrate that outdoor space in “Cité des 1000 logs” is not the catalyst of neighborly
 interaction. Because of the lack of adequate playground areas, many parents were not
encouraged to accompany the children outdoors and supervise them at play, and in turn,
socialize with others. Although, the comparison between the three variety of configurations
of outdoor communal spaces distinguished in the study area showed no sensitive difference
in their degree of social interaction.
• The second study investigates the relationship between the courtyard design of high-rise
housing complexes and the resident’s social interaction in Taipei, Taiwan. The purpose of
this research is to examine the relationship between the outdoor space design of high-rise
housing complexes and the resident’s social interaction. The types of outdoor space and the
elements of the space types of high-rise housing complexes are closely examined to
understand their effects on residents’ social interaction. The context of observations
included the number of users, users’ gender, users’ age range (elderly, middle-aged, young
adult, and children), movement flow, location of the activity, and type of activity (social or
nonsocial). In this study, social activities were referred to as the observable behavioral
interaction among the residents, including nodding, talking, waving, and friendly physical
contact. Both quantities of social interaction and frequency of social interaction were
recorded. The quantity of social interaction results mainly from the advantage of the size of
space type/element. As the size of outdoor spaces increases, more people can be
accommodated and the opportunities for the encounter are also increased. The possibility
for interaction may hence rise. The findings indicated that there was little difference in the
percentages of social interaction for Hsin-Yi Housing, NienJen Housing, and Daan Housing.
Overall, the average percentage of social interaction is 15.63%. The low percentage reflects
the phenomenon of social withdrawal among the residents of urban high-rise housing in
Taipei, Taiwan. Among the five space types, scenic and activity spaces can support more
social interaction. Looking at each space type, circulation space exceeds the rest of the space
types regarding the quantity of social interaction. The findings confirm the notion that the
chance for social interaction increases as the opportunity for physical contact rises. Based on
the findings of the study, some principles are proposed for the design of outdoor interaction
spaces for urban high-rise housing. The design of pedestrian circulation should reflect
functional concerns such as accessibility and width, but also consider the social possibility.
The provision of recesses along pedestrian routes enables users to stay temporarily on
routes and interact without blocking the movement of others. In addition, the layout of
seating plays a crucial role in affecting users’ social behavior. Generally, concave seating
allows facial contact and encourages interaction. Convex seating makes facial contact
difficult and discourages socializing.
• The third paper examines the opportunities for social activities in public outdoor spaces
associated with high-density residential living. This study surveyed activities in outdoor
spaces outside three high-density residential communities in Brisbane. To achieve the
objectives of this study, site plans and observation sheets were used to systematically collect
data outside each of the selected communities. Unplanned activities or additional
information were also recorded. Data collection included: the number of people engaged in
social activities, type of social activities, characteristics of the outdoor spaces. Observations
were conducted for four days outside each of the three communities, including two
workdays (Thursday and Friday) and a weekend (Saturday and Sunday). For each selected
community, the main observation space was chosen. These observation spaces were the
main public outdoor spaces outside each community containing main entrances and
facilities such as cafes and seating. The observation points were on public thoroughfares
located where the observer had the best field of view but did not catch the resident’s
attention. Results indicated that activity patterns in public outdoor space outside residential
communities are different from general urban public outdoor space. The total number of
people in observed activities was 3,073. The activities outside the three sampled
communities were classified into three different types: process activity, physical contact,
and transitional activity. The results suggest a general pattern of behavior in public outdoor
spaces outside high-density residential communities. There was no direct correlation
between physical contact and process activities such as passing through a public outdoor
space, even though some physical contact may have begun from process activities. The size
and number of public outdoor spaces did not contribute to the improvement of social
interactions among people. The more time people spend outdoors, the more frequently
they meet and interact socially. According to this work, the frequency and duration of
residents staying in the public outdoor spaces were the decisive factors to promoting
physical contact. However, this study did not provide strong evidence to support this idea,
because there was no apparent linkage between physical contact and process activities. In
the fourth paper, the role that public space may take on in the redevelopment of suburban
high-rise buildings in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) is examined. Exploring
the relationship between revitalization and public space through two case studies. The first
one is located at Kipling Avenue in Etobicoke, one of Toronto’s old suburbs, and it was an
experiment on how to engage residents in the reimagination of public space in a meaningful
way. And the second one is the Ken Soble Tower, which currently is undergoing an intense
and high-profile makeover in the North End neighborhood of Hamilton, Ontario, and can be
situated within a broader context of gentrifying cation and waterfront redevelopment. The
methods for the two case studies are critical media analysis, document analysis, participant
observations, and interviews. For the first case study (the Kipling Towers), we rely on notes
we took during events related to the reimagination process of the community’s common
spaces inside and outside of the building in 2011 as well as on a film that was one of the
outcomes of the community engagement exercises. For the Hamilton case, we conducted a
detailed analysis of relevant planning documents, including current policies on urban
renewal, redevelopment, and regeneration and how the Tower Renewal initiative fits into
these frameworks, particularly regarding the waterfront redevelopment plan. In the GTHA,
many follow the ‘tower in the park’s design, featuring tall buildings, surrounded by shared,
open green spaces, plazas, and parking lots. Many were planned for a middle-class, car-
owning demographic who no longer live in them due to the deterioration of the buildings.
The lawns and parking lots intended to serve as residents’ common areas create or act as
barriers between towers and the neighborhoods, they are situated in. In the course of
deterioration, shared spaces such as lounges were closed down, elevators are often
malfunctioning and staircases show clear signs of poor maintenance. The use of common
spaces is also limited by concerns around safety, which have led to the securitization of
many buildings through the use of cameras, security guards, and sometimes policing by
residents themselves. The initiatives of Tower Renewal, the program to rehabilitate high-rise
buildings in the GTHA, allow us to focus on the role of public space in multi-story buildings.
With its verticality, it has several spaces that can be called public if public space is
understood as something that is socially constructed. In the case of the Kipling Towers in
Toronto, we see that the revitalization strategies focused mainly on the classical aspects of
how public space is thought of. The examination also reveals how the vertical geography of
the tower is not separate or isolated from the horizontal environment, but might instead be
thought of as in a complex relationship with it.
 • CONCLUSION

Results of observation and questionnaire survey from the first paper showed a very low rate
of use of the outdoor spaces which demonstrates that outdoor space in “Cité des 1000 logs”
is not the catalyst of neighborly interaction. Because of the lack of adequate playground
areas, many parents were not encouraged to accompany the children outdoors and
supervise them at play, and in turn, socialize with others. Although, the comparison between
the three variety of configurations of outdoor communal spaces distinguished in the study
area showed no sensitive difference in their degree of social interaction. The findings from
the second paper indicated that there was little difference in the percentages of social
interaction for Hsin-Yi Housing, NienJen Housing, and Daan Housing. Overall, the average
percentage of social interaction is 15.63%. The low percentage reflects the phenomenon of
social withdrawal among the residents of urban highrise housing in Taipei, Taiwan. Among
the five space types, scenic and activity spaces can support more social interaction. Looking
at each space type, circulation space exceeds the rest of the space types regarding the
quantity of social interaction. The findings confirm the notion that the chance for social
interaction increases as the opportunity for physical contact rises. Results from the third
paper indicated that activity patterns in public outdoor space outside residential
communities are different from general urban public outdoor space. The total number of
people in observed activities was 3,073. The activities outside the three sampled
communities were classified into three different types: process activity, physical contact,
and transitional activity. The results suggest a general pattern of behavior in public outdoor
spaces outside high-density residential communities. There was no direct correlation
between physical contact and process activities such as passing through a public outdoor
space, even though some physical contact may have begun from process activities. The size
and number of public outdoor spaces did not contribute to the improvement of social
interactions among people. The more time people spend outdoors, the more frequently
they meet and interact socially. According to this work, the frequency and duration of
residents staying in the public outdoor spaces were the decisive factors to promoting
physical contact. However, this study did not provide strong evidence to support this idea,
because there was no apparent linkage between physical contact and process activities. The
initiatives of Tower Renewal in the fourth paper the program to rehabilitate high-rise
buildings in the GTHA, allows us to focus on the role of public space in multi-story buildings.
With its verticality, it has several spaces that can be called public if public space is
understood as something that is socially constructed. In the case of the Kipling Towers in
Toronto, we see that the revitalization strategies focused mainly on the classical aspects of
how public space is thought of. The examination also reveals how the vertical geography of
the tower is not separate or isolated from the horizontal environment, but might instead be
thought of as in a complex relationship with it.

REFERENCES

1. Naceur Farida., September 2013., Effects of outdoor shared spaces on social interaction in a
housing estate in Algeria, Department of Architecture, University of Batna, Batna.

2. Shu-Chun Lucy Huang., July 2005., A study of outdoor interactional spaces in high-rise housing.,
Department of Tourism, Shih-Hsin University.
3. Wei Zhang and Gillian Lawson., Meeting and Greeting: activities in public outdoor spaces outside
high-density urban residential communities., School of Design, Faculty of Built Environment and
Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane QLD 4001, Australia.

4. Loren March, Ute Lehrer., July 2019., Verticality, Public Space and the Role of Resident
Participation in Revitalizing Suburban High-rise Buildings., Canadian Journal of urban research,
University of Toronto, York Unive
QUESTIONS: -
1. Where do people interact in Highrise buildings?
2. What are the activities in common outdoor spaces?
a) Transit
b) socializing with others or accompanying children
c) Resting
d) Going for a walk
e) Practicing a sport
3. If the quality of outdoor spaces is good, will you use them?
a) Yes
b) No
4. Does outdoor public space meet the needs of high-rise residents?
a) Yes
b) No
5. At what time of the day people use public spaces more ?
6. Does it gets crowdy during festivals?
7. To what extent there is a difference in interaction during normal days and weekend
?
8. Does the current public space you’re using is sufficient enough ? or do you need any
changes?
9. Which kind of group uses it more ?
10. What type of functions take place?