Link to Mappings Part 1

Link to Mappings Part 2

Link to PDF of full resolution map images for Final Map and 5 Initial forces

For my final map I wanted to demonstrate how Downtown Santa Ana is an area of the city full of contradictions: of conflicting, competing and complementary forces. Santa Ana is the county seat for Orange County. The Civic center area in downtown contains a number of government buildings: Court houses, federal buildings, city hall, hall of record, jails, and police headquarters. This means people from all over orange county come into downtown to work as government employees or lawyers, serve on juries, and or to handle other government business. Santa Ana is also ground zero for the homeless problem in Orange county, because the civic center area is public land the homeless have set up encampments in this area with little resistance. To alleviate the problem the city has repurposed an abandoned transit center and made it into a year-round homeless shelter with a capacity for 400 people. I also counted those in the jails among the homeless, while they are not out on the street, I think of being in jail as a form of homelessness. I did this also to highlight the statistic that those released from jail are at a higher risk of becoming homeless on the streets, and also the homeless are at a higher risk of being incarcerated. I represented the civic center as a solid yellow surrounding line because generally the people who come to this area generally stay in this area, probably because they are hesitant to explore other areas of downtown due to perceived danger. Probably as a result of this the city has installed a number of 10 foot high surveillance/assistance poles (I’ve counted 7) with video camera monitoring of the area, with a help button and an intercom system to communicate with the central command center.

I wanted to highlight walkable and congregating nature of downtown as part of my Gathering force. Santa Ana is home to a number of public open-air plazas, performance areas, and food halls. Santa Ana is a city that celebrates with monthly art walks that take over some city streets, annual parades, including the OC LGBT pride parade, and 5K runs. The city has also installed walking path markers in the ground for a 1.5-mile route that highlights historic buildings and landmarks in low/slow traffic and monitored areas.

Santa Ana is also 78% Latino and to not represent the impact of their language on the space would leave out an important force. I added the force of Language and represented it not as who speaks it, but as the businesses and institutions (mainly restaurants, cafes, eateries, churches, retail stores, markets, clinics, salons) that cater to English speakers, Spanish speakers, or both. I judged each space by the signage and advertisements on display that could be seen while walking past it.  I got rid of my Historical Architectural force because, it tells a story about the city through time and I’m more interested in the present state. I also got rid of the places of worship force but instead integrated those churches as institutions that cater to the local population in the same way retail and dining place do.

Field Site: Quail Hill Shopping Center & Surrounding Areas

My final mapping combined all my five forces into one single map. I did make some modifications based on my critique session. Having used Adobe Illustrator for the first time, I struggled with showing all five forces in a creative and visually appealing manner. Hopefully it’s still clearly understood. Given that the Quail Hill Shopping Center is the epicenter of the nearby neighborhood, I wanted to present the forces as I observed them. Traffic has a gradient that shows the areas where there are typically high traffic entering the shopping center. For Paths, I focused on the walkability of the area and wanted to show it as “arteries” to the neighboring area. The Businesses are self-explanatory given they are represented by commonly known icons. However, it’s important to point out that it represents all the relevant businesses that are necessary for a small community. Parks are a big theme within the neighborhood given the number of families that reside in Quail Hill. Additionally, Hangouts exhibit the areas where most people congregate. Whether that is on a park table, casual outdoor seating, or large outdoor lounge chairs and sofas.

Part 3 – Full PDF

Part 2 – Individual Forces

Part 1 – Field Site & Observations

For the final map, I wanted to show my five-forces map in perspective. Based on Census data of one of my forces (Ethnicity), it became apparent that my observation of different ethnicities at the center of my map is a reflection of the broader map. It also explains one of the other forces I described (variety). With so many different people in one place, it is natural the variety of restaurants, food stores, and other shops. From this Census data and concentration of population, it suggests that the closer to the main public transportation, the more concentrated is the population.

Final Map PDF

Part 2 – Five forces

Part 1 – Observations and Initial impressions

 

 

Final Map:

High quality PDF of final map

Part2 (includes progress snap shots) 

Part1

Listening to Jesse and my peers critique my initial maps and forces gave me some ideas on how to better show how these interact. Also, I was not quite sure how to best describe the “Crowds”

However, after discussing this Leah, it became apparent that my map was too literal and not personal enough; so I went wild(er) in terms of how and what to show. In the map below, I completely changed the pallet, modified how to show police (now as station rather than control), show Crowds as something ‘over’ the other forces describe street art as something static, small, and worth seeing. Venues remains the same and traffic is now that impedes (red bars) the regular flow of movement.

After yet some more feedback, I made some further changes. I was invited to think about a story and how this is conveyed in the map; so here it goes:

There is a festival in town. All venues are open to the public. There are 2 main public stages, a main one, and a secondary one.  Crowds concentrate, naturally, around these two stages. Traffic, as expected, is an issue, shown here by the red bar preventing a regular flow. Art, everywhere, takes the shape of street art, conveyed here with a sort of graffiti on same of the walls around town.

Final Map: 

Link to High Res PDF

After my critique, I chose to focus in on the concept of “localness” in the area–an exploration of what defines the Arcadia neighborhood; an area that prides itself in being all about “localness.” Arcadia is defined by its local businesses, proud to be local, the mature, green landscaping planted intentionally by area developers to juxtapose the natural, desert landscape native to Arizona, by the signature citrus fruit of the area–the orange, as the entire neighborhood was once acres of orange groves, by 1950’s ranch-style homes with sprawling lawns, and lastly, by bustling traffic congestion on busy intersections but smooth travels through the majority of the neighborhood.

Link to Previous Posts: 1, Forces & 2, Forces Mapped

Map Round 5: Animation

Based on Leah’s feedback to show more of the interrelationship of my forces, I made an animation of the development of the farm over time, from base landscape to its five forces in play today.

https://youtu.be/ORg0X5mvv9k

Previous Rounds

Part 4 Post: Forces Combined
Part 2 & 3 Post : Individual Forces
(Includes edits & feedback from Part 3)
Part 1 Post : Documenting the Space
High Res PDF

Location: Outlets of Orange

Force 1: Parking

Force 2: Food

Force 3: Kiosks

Force 4: Maps

Force 5: Child Services

 

Final Map:

Link to Final Map PDF

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 2

This map deals with a section of Santa Monica where I spend anywhere from 50 – 85 hours a week. The map covers my office, adjoining video production studio spaces and a parking garage.

FINAL MAP

PDF

Design Notes:

• Redid map using non-satellite view to address Shreya’s feedback about blurriness
• Zoomed in on map/reduced scope of geographic coverage in order to call out more detail
• Clarified placement of corridors and partitions to more accurately convey real life layout of space

Part 1

Part 2 – See below

Force 1: Vegetation

Force 2: Parking

Force 3: Road Blocks

Force 4: Partitions

Force 5: Corridors

LOCATION: Quail Hill Shopping Center (Irvine, CA)

**Click on each force to access image via Google Drive**

Force 1: Traffic

Force 2: Businesses

Force 3: Cleanliness

Force 4: Walkable

Force 5: Hangout

Location: Outlets of Orange

Force 1:  Charging Stations

Force 2: Maps

Force 3: Food

Force 4: Kiosks

Force 5: Child Services

Project 2: Mappings, Part 3 – Gilberto Cardenas

My base map is an aerial view obtained from Google Maps, depicting the Orange Coast College and OC Fairgrounds area in Costa Mesa. Through filters in Photoshop I removed all the noise and focused only on the roads and pathways.
The areas I selected is one I am very familiar with as it’s a place that my family and I do a lot of walking. I that there were only a few forces that influence my perception of this area, and modified my original five forces.
Through my observations, there is a transformation that occur periodically, I wanted to illustrate how these transformations effect the surrounding areas by creating a distorted view of the map.
The venues are another force I wanted to depict in my map, and show the influence they have around the community. There is a high concentration of people that attend the venues, the swap-meet, and the amphitheaters, and their reach extends across the area as people will park or walk from various directions to attend the venue. Since the venues are so close to each other, there is an overlap in their influence and they are competing to attract people, and parking space.
Lastly, I included a force of the walking paths that my family enjoy when we spend time outside walking. We have explored these areas many times, and feel comfortable taking children here. I’ve also created a slight distortion in some of the paths, as we tend to spend a lot of time in that area, and we’ve observed many people drawn there also to walking their children or pets.

 

Final Map SlideShow

 

 

Project 2: Mappings, Part2– Gilberto Cardenas

Please click on the individual map to enlarge.

For this part, I explored the various forces in greater detail. I used color, patterns, and shapes to identify the various components of my forces which I have confined to specific areas. Some of the forces have a greater influence outside their physical location and which can be seen in the illustrations.

Force: Business Types

Force: Government

Force: Human Habitation

Force: Transformation

Force: Venues

Project 2: Mappings, Part 1 – Gilberto Cardenas

Mapping studies centered around my current living environment, located in an apartment complex in Costa Mesa, CA.  Various forces at play were observed within a 15-20 minute walking distance and recorded with photography.

Business Types- In the business area, there are an eclectic assortments of shops that cater to low & medium income customers. Within walking distance, I can purchase groceries, go to a hardware store, look at fancy furniture, and go to specialty shops that satisfy various vices.

   

Government– Various city services are found in the Costa Mesa City Hall, I’ve had to come here to obtain a business permit. They will assist Costa Mesian’s with matters of the city. The police department is also located here.

Human Habitation– Affordable housing is becoming very hard to find,  there are many construction projects attract high income earners, displacing lower income families to other cities. These single family homes start at 800k.

Transformation– On the weekends, the main parking lot of Orange Coast College (OCC) is transformed into a Swap-Meet, allowing people to barter for goods and services using cultural business norms not easily found in brick and mortar stores.  This is one of two swap-meets found in this area. The other Swap-meet is across the street in the Orange County fairgrounds. Spanish, Vietnamese, and English are the main languages used for business. I once purchased a wacom tablet for .50 cents.

Venues– The Orange County Fairgrounds is home of the Pacific Amphitheater, where a lot of activity  takes place through the year. The good thing about living so close is I am able to walk to attend a concert. The drawback is that some events get out of control, such as when candidate Trump rallied, and protesters were out in the street rioting.

Enforcement: This map is meant to represent the enforcer of rules and order in the space. I represented their view and zone of control using the shaded zones.

Transit: I represented the arrows and colors to represent transit traffic in the Watergarden. The Metro station, the pick-up roundabout both draw and shape the space.

Time: I represented how people use the during different times of the day. In the morning people are flowing into the center, similarly evening hour shape the outflow of people and bikes. One thing I regret missing writing this reflection was the flow of people during lunch to restaurant row.

Branding: The “Watergarden” charges a premium and relies on branding to show itself to be a modern working space. Prominent concrete signs anchor the outer edges marking the space, and the stand-up signs attempt to keep and engage workers and passerby in the area.

Controlled Nature or Controlling Nature: You can see the concrete lines surrounds and controls the spread of greenery. Originally, the Watergarden central plaza was mostly water, following a renovation and re-branding most of the space was paved over.

Combined Map – I combined all my map on this image, it looks a little messy and slightly ugly. Though it does all come together, you can see the ways forces interact and inform one another.

Busy and Quiet

Convenience

Variety

Ethnicities

Public Transportation

FINAL MAP

SJSU as a public and private space.

There is a significant number of homeless around the campus that impacts the student experience. For example, the library is a joint public and university space. Thus, homeless people hang out in the same space where students study. Some students feel threatened by their presence. At the same time, some students and professors are homeless and need food assistance themselves. I wanted to contrast this with the University’s effort to create student communities, activities, and engagement.

hi-res map

Design Choices:

I included images of students and homeless people because pictures are more visceral than icons and text. The images are within the blocks  – a metaphor for being part of the landscape.

Blue and yellow are SJSU’s colors. Helvetica is one of it’s approved fonts for marketing.

I wanted to keep the base map as “real” as possible so I only made few alterations to it.

 

 

THE ORIGINAL FIVE FORCES

San Jose State University is a community of more than 35000 students, staff, and faculty members. It’s also part of the downtown San Jose community. Thus, there’s a blend of forces that impact its space and people.

Buildings in Decay

SJSU was founded in 1857. It’s compacted within a 19 square blocks in downtown San Jose which limits its growth and renewal. A number of buildings are in poor shape. Some lack proper heating and air conditioning. The map helps visualize the age of the buildings and how the SJSU has been built over the last century.

View Hi-Res Map

 

I decided to use the color spectrum to help visualize the age of the buildings. The oldest buildings are in red followed by red-orange and so on. This shows when and how the campus has grown in chucks or sections.

My first iteration included different texture gradation. However, I didn’t like how it looked visually and didn’t feel it was necessary to depict the decay of the buildings.  Also, it wasn’t consistent with the rest of the design.

Public Space

A number of large apartment complexes have been built in downtown San Jose in the last decade. Unfortunately, there’s very little open space for people enjoy. Dog owners use SJSU as a “park” to exercise their dogs and allow them to relieve themselves. Also, street vendors selling snacks take advantage of the open campus and concentration of customers.

View Hi-Res Map

I decided to use metaphors of people and place them where I observed the activities taking place.  Using black differentiates the metaphors from the other forces. Also, the people metaphors are in the act of walking.  I added the grass element because dog walkers use that space. (I wanted to illustrate the dogs peeing but decided against it :).

 

Safety and Security

There have been a number of high profile incidents including a sexual predator and an assault that heightened the security risks on campus. Emergency call boxes and video surveillance help keep the space secure.

Downtown San Jose has a large homeless population who sometimes enter the space. Though not a threat – there’s a sense that homeless people are not welcomed on campus.

View Hi-Res Map

I used familiar metaphors for the call boxes (red = emergency) and video camera (blue = police). The circle around the video camera implies its visual range.

 

Student Community Spaces

SJSU is largely a commuter campus; most students live far off campus. There are spaces for students to congregate and meet with friends or clubs. The Student Union and 7th Street Avenue is the central location for student gatherings and activities.

View Hi-Res Map

I used metaphors for activities: pool, soccer, and juggling.  I decided to use dots to convey concentration of students in areas where student congregate.  The areas are supplemented with pictures of students in those areas. I used yellow for the dots because it’s one of  SJSU’s colors.

 

Transportation

Besides cars, most students come to campus by foot, bicycle, or bus. Also, there are Zipcar stations and bicycles for rent.

View Hi-Res Map

I wanted to communicate important information on this map especially bus numbers and bike rack locations. Also, I leverage the principle of picture superiority effect by illustrating the buses and bikes.

 

 

 

Force 1: Landscaping, Planted Landscape Locations and Density

Force 2: Traffic, Intensity Color-Coded

Force 3: Businesses, location of each business indicated

Force 4: Local(ness), local businesses marked, emphasis by business on “being local” indicated by size of circle.

Force 5: Human Habitation, single-family residences shaded in blue, multi-family living shaded in pink

[ Part 4 – FINAL]

Version 1.0: Combined five forces into one map

Click to High Resolution Image

Mariners campus is a space for a variety of ages ranging from baby to seniors. The campus has an overall slope, and many paths have stairs. I have often seen strollers and wheelchair users coming back in front of the stairs. It can be a difficult route to use depending on who uses even the same space. I wanted to express such a force on the map, and I thought that the 3D was suitable for representing the slope; I chose the direction on the map as a good way to express the slope. Also, consistency of metaphor was maintained according to the same component; uniformity was expressed in a color of each component.

[ Part 3]

Version 0.9: Feedbacks reflected

 

Click to High Resolution Image

Left – Modified map; Right – Original map

 #1 “Base map” changes

– Distinguishing between a parking lot and building is difficult.
=> Added detail elements at the buildings as cartoon style, and changed the parking lot to the patterns so that it can be further distinguished from the buildings. Also, stairs and lawn elements were added.
– The representation of the roads surrounding the campus is unclear
=> Added a missing route.

#2 “Accessibility” changes

– The meaning of the zones on the map is unclear.
– Mapping buildings and parking lots of color provide too strong recommendations for users. It feels like people should park in that area.

=> To express the nearest parking lot from each building, it kept several colors of grouped parking lots; added entry routes for the road to the campus. it allowed determining from which roads an good way to enter the campus and which parking lot to use.

                                                                                        

#3 “Purpose of the buildings” changes

By expressing the characteristics of each building in a cartoon style, the identification of each building was enhanced. Also, color dots were used to indicate the grouping of the purpose of the building; which lowered the complexity by removing text on the map.

[ Part 2]

Version 0.8: Five forces on the map

Click to High Resolution Image

 

 

[ Part 1]

Observation: the five forces of Mariners campus

 

Link to Part 1 posting

 

Link to PDF (print form)

Final Map: How did I get here?

After the feedback from comments and the critique session, it was clear I had oversimplified my forces. I reconsidered all of them. I eliminated the one that was least interesting to me (for sale/rent) and decided to approach the education force in a new light. I readjusted the boundaries of my map to focus on the downtown area; specifically in-between the three institutions that define Columbia as a college town- the University of Missouri, Columbia College and Stephen’s College. The area in-between all three, namely downtown Columbia, was now the focus of my map.

My remaining forces, music, festive-ness, and public art embody different parts of downtown Columbia. I tried to compare and contrast them and ultimately decided the most interesting thing those forces had in common with physical space was how they are affected by time. The public art and education sites are better appreciated in the day, but at night, the music and festivities come to play.

Mapping time is a challenge. I read “Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer” (Peter Turchi) to try to connect what I knew about writing to what I don’t know about mapping. I tracked down a copy of Rebecca Solnit’s “Infinite Cities” to read the rest of the essays.  I went down the rabbit hole reading about Minard’s wonderful War of 1812 map and a strange book called “Cartographies of Time: A History of the Timeline.” All of these map-related things helped me realize in a roundabout way that visualizing time seems to be easier as a data visualization than as a map. The final map is my attempt to fully combine my forces, on one image in one space all while conveying a span of time.

A crumpled-up gem from the recycle bin:

An attempt at using gradients to indicate time forces interacting with time. 

My Five Forces

Project 2.1 Forces

Five forces:

I’ve chosen to use the campus where I work, and the mixed-use corridor between it’s location and the main downtown street in my town as the area of study.

Female-dominated areas: My domain includes part of a women’s college, and observed more women than men on those streets. A few blocks away, at the college where I work, I noticed certain study areas always have more women than men.

Educational: There are several churches, schools and studios in the area. I would be interested in seeing how educational activities represent a force in this area.

Events: With two colleges, the main downtown street, and an arts district within a few blocks from each other, there are certain areas that are very event heavy.

Kid-friendly: Parks, daycares and elementary schools? Age-specific events? What about the number of restaurants with kid menus or high chairs in this field? I see this as a layer on top of the events and educational.

Historic buildings: Which buildings are the oldest? Are any on historic registers?

PART ONE
PART TWO
PART THREE

PART ONE

The Brady Arts District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a historically important area just north of downtown. Originally built on oil money, it decayed for years. Since the turn of the century local investment has helped build a culturally-rich area full of museums, galleries, parks, music venues, and a variety of food and entertainment venues.

The district’s namesake, Wyatt Tate Brady, was a founder of the City of Tulsa and an affluent member of the Klu Klux Klan. The area next to the Brady Arts District, Greenwood, was the location of one of the United States worst racial violence outbreaks in 1921.  In September 2017, the district was finally renamed “Tulsa Arts District” after years of campaigning by local activists.

Divides are still very apparent in this area; however, there are genuine attempts to repair them. Today, visitors can witness a vibrant, upcoming district full of rich history, juxtaposed against a dilapidated industrial zone struggling with homelessness and crime.

CRIME

The City of Tulsa crime map shows that this district struggles with petty crimes, sex crimes, as well as more violent crime. It also has a large homeless population, and local charities have set up shelters, soup kitchens, and other assistance services nearby. While the homeless do commit some of these crimes, they are also often the victim.

The district is also home to the Tulsa County Jail, a private low-security jail, and the ever-present adjacent bail bondsmen.

AFFLUENCE

Affluence corresponds heavily to zoning in this district. The industrial areas and the north side of the district are extremely poor. Homelessness is mostly confined to those areas during daylight hours. The cultural area of the district features more upscale apartments, and is clearly occupied by the urban professional during daylight hours. At night, the homeless tend to meander into the more affluent area to make use of its comfort features. Affluence can be seen in the types of businesses, such as expensive hobbies and artisan stores.

ZONING

The area zoning is highly contrasting. On the west side, it is highly industrial. The east side is full of culture-oriented businesses. The north side is empty and abandoned, while the south is residential aimed at the young professional who works downtown and wants to be able to walk or cycle to work.

BUSINESS TYPE

The area is heavily dominated with culture. Museums, art galleries, artisan coffee shops, artisan bakeries and chocolatiers, record stores, and music venues rule here. Some are world famous, such as Cain’s Ballroom, established in 1924 (I’ve watched Jimmy Eat World here in a crowd of just a few hundred, which is an amazing experience!), while others are local-famous.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

The area features a nice park space, called Guthrie Green. It often has outdoor concerts, yoga, community events, as well as movie nights. The district itself is one of the most walkable in Tulsa, with safe sidewalks along most streets as well as decent pedestrian crossings. There are also a variety of other green spaces, and the area is generally cyclable.

There are a few health and wellness-related business here too, including an outdoor sports field with organized weekly events; a health spa; some upscale health boutiques; and an artisan bike maker.

PART TWO

For this part of the project, I experimented with axonometric projection (Jesse has since explained this is not axonometric, but a blown-up layer map). The viewer should start on the bottom layer, where important information is explained, such as the district’s border and a compass orientation. Then move up layer by layer, where a level of information about the district is added at each stop.

Full-size image [PNG, 1550 x 3493 pixels]

PART THREE

During our crit session, Jesse mentioned that the blown-up layering technically counts as one map. So I decided to continue with this style for the final version, and incorporate a lot of feedback I received in the crit as well as from other feedback on Slack and offline.

The biggest visual change is the 3D district boundary on each force. This helps show the district in relation to its surrounding area, while also avoids details in the back getting lost on the 2D plane, which was feedback I had received on part 2.

The second biggest change is the removal of icons and a rework of the forces. Where previously I had a layer for zoning with patterns and a layer for business type with icons, based on Jesse’ feedback, I decided to amalgamate the two forces into one layer and forego the obvious icons. I instead mapped the perceived atmosphere around the district based on those businesses. I found it difficult to incorporate both forces in one layer, since they both cover the full district, but ended up removing the color from the patterns and relying on their obvious difference to portray the land use. While using a heat map effect to display the social atmosphere. I like that this really shows the social environment being crowded around the cultural heart of the district, and that affluence and walkability match the most social areas. Crime also seems to be lower in the more social areas.  

The affluence force was also heavily reworked, as feedback received was that the colored dollar signs weren’t that obvious. So I added height to the mapping based on Sarah’s idea of incorporating 3D elements into the map. I added in a subtle color to help assist, and I think the final result works well.

I also added a few more perspective lines to help orient the viewer, as well as link the layers visually so it does become a single map.

Full-size image [PNG, 1550 x 3490 pixels]

Full-size print [PDF, 4MB]

Part III – Final Map

The feedback from the critique session helped me immensely. I made a bunch of  changes to my maps and synthesized into forces that make students visit my observation area. Being a student town and a fairly expensive place to live in, I felt my map should center around how it can be made live-able and affordable for students.

High res image here

Part II – maps of the 5 forces

1. Offices

2. Restaurants

3. Stores

4. Housing Properties

5. Transportation

 

 

Link to Mappings Part 1

Link to Mappings Part 3

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-Mission/Spanish Revival Building: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Revival_architecture
-Victorian Building: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_architecture
-Italian Renaissance Building: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palazzo_Farnese
-Colonial Building: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/HopeLodge_HistoricSite.JPG
-Classical Revival Building: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassical_architecture
-Episcopal Church: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shield_of_the_US_Episcopal_Church.svg
-Methodist Church:  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_of_the_United_Methodist_Church.svg
-Catholic Church: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church
-Church of Scientology: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scientology_symbol.svg
-Metropolitan Community Church: http://mccchurch.org/
-Christian Non-Denominational: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity
-Presbyterian Church: http://All-Silhouettes.com

Forces Present at the Intersection of Topanga Canyon and Venture Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA

• Traffic: The traffic in this area varies by the time of day but is generally congested. Both Topanga Canyon and Ventura Blvd are major streets that connect individuals with various parts of the valley all the way to the ocean so commuting through this intersection can be hectic. Luckily the lights on the main intersection have specific signals for turns as opposed to a yield light. However, right after the main intersection, there is a large strip mall that is very chaotic and there is a light that was meant to help facilitate better traffic but because it isn’t coordinated with the major intersection light, it often causes further back ups into the intersection. Below is the diagram of the intersection and the various flows of traffic that feed into the traffic.

 

• Human Habitation: Southwest of the intersection is a residential neighborhood that is home to a number of individuals. These individuals likely shop, eat, bank, and whatever else is possible at the various businesses around the intersection. On the diagram below, the residential neighborhood that contributes to human habitation is indicated.

 

• Business Type: There are a variety of businesses around this intersection, which also contributes to the traffic in the area but given the human habitation not far away, many of the businesses are services oriented. Two of the corners of the intersection are different banks. Another corner is a gas station and the fourth corner is the beginning of a large strip mall that includes grocery stores, coffee shops, barbers, fast food restaurants, another bank, and an ice cream shop, to name a few. These businesses are depicted in the diagram below.

 

• Homelessness: Homelessness is a problem that Los Angeles faces all over the county. Given that this intersection is a major one, there is someone who stands on the island in the middle of Topanga Canyon with a sign asking for money. Additionally, the alleys surrounding the area have a number of homeless encampments and there are some homeless neighbors who spend a lot of the day in the parking lot of the strip mall on the corner of the intersection. Out of respect for these individuals, I did not include any photos but indicated their locations on the diagram.

 

Vegetation: Los Angeles is known as the city of cement but this intersection and the surrounding area has a great deal of vegetation in comparison to other areas nearby. There are a number of trees planted along both Topanga Canyon and Ventura Blvd. There are also a number of blooming flower bushes that add color to the area. The vegetation is depicted in the diagram below.

This map is of the Grand Central Creative Campus (GC3). It serves as the west coast headquarters for the creative endeavors for The Walt Disney Company and is located in an industrial stretch of Glendale, CA. The area’s history includes the birthplace of commercial air travel in Southern California at the Grand Central Air Terminal in 1930. It is now owned by Disney.

Driving through the area, many of the buildings are unmarked, so the average passerby would not realize that most of the buildings outside the main, gated campus, are owned and utilized by Disney operations. Outside the main, walled campus, there are no amenities present and available to the public. All the restaurants, coffee and shopping are located within the campus areas and available only to employees and their guests.

Parking can be a challenge because surface lot and parking structure availability is limited, and quite a long walk from many of the central buildings. Those of us who visit the campus utilize street parking, as do many freelancers and vendors who aren’t technically employed by the company and, therefore, do not have access to the employee parking areas. Street parking becomes congested and many of us plan our meetings for either first thing in the morning, or right after lunch, while ensuring we arrive early enough to secure parking before everyone else arrives for the day or returns from lunch.

There are a lot of events that happen on campus. Those events include film and television shoots. It’s always interesting to see what they may be filming to and mingle with the actors and extras as we pass through to and from meetings or during our lunch break.

When we’re trying to meet up with friends for coffee, lunch or a meeting, there are a few landmarks that we use as orientation. Two of them are statues of Yoda and Sully from Monster’s Inc. It’s very common for someone to say, ” meet me at Yoda.”

The campus is also LEED certified and has a lot of open space that is filled with native plants and xeriscape. It’s different than the other, older campuses, which have more traditional landscaping because they date back to the early 20th century. GC3 allows a lot of open space with tables under trees so that employees can get fresh air while they conduct meetings or do work.

Combined Forces Map

 

 

Individual Forces Maps

 

Progress:

1. Refinement of force displays
2. Zoom in of Toxin

 

 

 

 

Link to part 1

Round Two Design

Based on WordPress Feedback & Group Critique
· Added a consistent base of topographic gradation
· Varied colors of animals
·  Added irrigation & piping to water

 

 

Round One Design

 

Quail Hill Shopping Center

I chose my local shopping center in a quaint area of Irvine called Quail Hill. It’s the only shopping complex in this neighborhood.

My Five Forces are: Traffic, Businesses, Cleanliness, Walkable, Hangout.

***PLEASE NOTE: There is no space available to upload images. Below is a link to the school Google Drive for access to the photos grouped by Forces ****

Click Here For All Images

TRAFFIC

Depending on the time of day, there is a lot of traffic heading into this shopping center. There is only two ways where you can enter & exit, and one way where you can only exit.

BUSINESSES

There are a variety of businesses ranging from grocery store, pharmacy, real estate, banks, restaurants, coffee shop, and fitness.

CLEANLINESS

This plaza is always kept clean and tiddy. From the walking areas and sidewalks, lounge chairs, and to the parking lot – everything is kept spotless.

WALKABLE

Numerous people throughout the day walk to and from this shopping plaza. They have widen the walkways and sidewalks to accompany families, bikes, and large amounts of people.

HANGOUT

There are numerous areas that encourage people to sit, relax, and lounge. Groups of chairs, comfy lounge chairs, and benches decorate the entire plaza. There’s even a fountain with tables and sofas.

I see a few other did office plazas! Sorry to add another one, but hopefully I can keep this interesting. Here is a passage from my observations at around noon on a Thursday. I was spending the end of afternoon with my mentee from the volunteer program I participate in though work. It is about 4 pm.

Two giant games of Jenga are step-up on two concrete benches, beside them a game of cornhole. The stacks of Jenga are immaculately placed opposite on another. My mentee is showing me  a trick on a skateboard I have lent him, he moved around between the bench and around my toward the tables around me. A few of the other mentors have emerged from the glass building lobby. Two of the pairs start playing Jenga, the other two play cornhole. There are few workers leaving the buildings around and exit toward the pick-up area and to the pathways closest to the Metro Station. A few times my mentee almost stakes into the passers by. The space is clearly not one conducive to staking. Shortly after a security guard comes by and tells us he can’t skateboard here. I had a feeling.

Video of him skating around here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LhzQ1tsfaVpBlf0R2

Sketch of Watergarden showing common exit paths from the building I work in.

Forces at work

Enforcement – During my skateboarding experience I clearly saw the role of rules and enforcement in the space. We were told that skateboard leaves marks on the special water porous pavement. Interesting.  On another occasion I was flagged down by a shouting security grade as I was riding my bike through the space. There is clearly a strong enforcement regime at work.

Time – Time is clearly a shaping force. when I was observing in the evening versus at lunch the norms and bounds of the space were clearly different. Though only an couple hours apart the space was transformed from a place of gathering and interaction from more of a space oriented to transit and transition. The primary function of the space changed based on time.

Branding- Part of the enforcement force intersects with brand force, a parade of bikes and skateboards clearly do not fit the brand of the space . On each of the Jenga blocks there were logo of the Watergarden., the cornhole game also featured the logos. It is important to owners and proprietors of the plaza to know what they work in the Watergarden and not perhaps any old office park.

Controlled Nature – I learned that when the Watergarden was constructed the space was mostly water. You can see in my photos and video there is a lot more concrete. Concrete dominates the space. The water in the Watergarden has become more of a accent, instead of the focal point of the space. Even the nature that remains in the space is confined to concrete boxes. Even though the old design water dominates the space, clearly each element of nature is surrounded and contained by concrete.

Transit – During my observation in the morning and the evening the two greatest forces shaping human traffic was transit. The Metro station in the west draws heavy amounts of pedestriant traffic, with an inflow and outflow with each nearing departure time. The roundabout  to the north is a second draw. Transit around the plaza shapes and effects the space thought it is not directly in the space.

When I moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles late last year, I did so for a lifestyle and career change. I traded in the intense grind of the software/tech world for the intense grind of the digital video world.  More than an industry-switch, I feel like I completely switched cultures, and as such, have been fascinated to observe the human, power, and design-dynamics of my new company, city and industry. Below, I share a sampling of five forces that affect the space I occupy almost daily – the roughly 2 block radius extending from the center of my office to the outside space.

Vegetation: Planters filled with succulents and cushioned seats line the exterior walk ways, adding elements of beauty, comfort and relaxation to an  an otherwise industrial-looking area.

Parking: Parking spaces close to the office/studio are highly limited, with there only being about 20 spots for workers that number over 100. This forces the immediate environment around the office to be pedestrian-friendly, while also highlighting in a visual way a certain power structure within the company. Through some unknown equation and/or negotiation, a relatively small number of people are granted this convenience.

Road Blocks: Road blocks stand at corners of the street leading to my office’s entrance. This slows down traffic and extends the “pedestrian-zone,” again contributing to a feeling of relative calm in the area outside of the hustle and bustle of the studio.

Partitions: Much of the office – the actual desk area and the production studio – is laid out in an open style. However, there are times where temporary separations must be created to control light sources, and that’s when large black cloths are hung from metal frames, partitioning off certain sight lines and reshaping the paths someone can take through and around the activity in the studio.

Corridors: There are interior and exterior corridors that connect different spaces. Indoors, there is a hallway that connects two suites in the office. It runs probably 100 meters, and is visually striking in it’s color (green-ish), lighting (fluorescent), and occupancy (none). It’s a strange no man’s land that people avoid walking through, opting instead to exit the building to re-enter through a side door to get to the other suite. Outdoors (pictured), the entry corridor leads to different studio spaces.

 

PART 1

**there is no more storage on here, so I uploaded my pictures on Google Drive. 

The site I chose is my neighborhood. I walk and drive by it every day, and have observed it during all times during the day and night. I have 3 large plazas near my house, which are found commonly around Irvine. I chose this site because it feels representative of how Irvine is structured: big, convenient plazas near residential areas.  These types of plazas tend to be near residential apartments and housing, so it is quite convenient to walk or drive to one of these plazas to dine out, grab groceries, and fill up on gas.

1.  Housing Properties:

I live in an Irvine Company apartment, which are largely popular in Irvine. These apartments tend to be around areas that have large convenience plazas, and also near parks and schools. They have similar layouts as each other, although some tend to be more of “communities”.

2.Convenience Plazas:

Convenience plazas are very common in Irvine. There is one every other block, and has a bunch of restaurants, grocery stores, and gas stations. They are often found near residential areas, as well as along main streets in Irvine, such as Jamboree, Culver, and Irvine Center Drive.

3. Paved sidewalks surrounded by vegetation:

Irvine is known for being quite green, even though we receive a lot of sunlight, and it can get quite warm here. There are often sidewalks that connect different plazas with each other, and those sidewalks are surrounded by trees.

4. Streets

Streets are usually busy around this neighborhood during commute hours, as well as weekends. Because people tend to drive to these convenience plazas, the streets around it are often filled with cars, although not to a degree that it causes traffic. The streets are the main ways these plazas are connected to one another (except the sidewalks), and often there are main streets which have plazas right off of them.

5. Parks

Irvine has large green parks around neighborhoods similar to mine. I have a park that is right next to my apartment, called the Flagstone Park. The park is very large, green, and there are often dogs running around here. There is also a bike trail, called the Walnut Trail, which extends across Irvine, and runs through many parks in Irvine. The trail is often filled with bikers.

PART 2

Housing Properties:

2. Convenience Plazas:

3. Paved sidewalks surrounded by vegetation: 

4. Streets

5. Parks

PART 3: FINAL MAP V1

The notes I got from Jesse after reviewing my 5 force maps were:

1. zoom out to show other plazas/parks in the map
2. consider another personal force to make the map more of a personal experience, such as my own maximum walking radius (map out where I usually walk to).

I added those in the final map, as well as zoomed out the base map to show more plazas and parks. I also changed the iconography for my plazas, since it felt messy in the initial Forces map. I also moved forward with a 2 of the original forces, since I felt the vegetation, streets and housing properties were not adding anything onto the map, and were not personal enough. I felt education and plazas were more personal forces to me, because I pass them by every day I go to work.

Larger PDF version

PART 3: FINAL MAP V2 (after Leah’s feedback on making it more personal)

Based on Leah’s feedback, I’ve iterated on my map and have tried to make the map more personal. I decided to make the map more of a journey map, so now it shows places that I have personally explored, and areas that I haven’t. I decided to showcase that through some color coding of the map. I also decided to take away the park icons, since I didn’t feel it was adding to the map, and based on your feedback of getting away from icons or google map conventions.

Larger PDF version

I decided to choose The Outlets of Orange as my center. It is a large shopping center with a lot of activity throughout the day.

1.  Charging Stations for Electric Cars

The Outlets of Orange provide special parking spots for electric vehicles.

2. Maps

There are maps of the mall located around to help people navigate and locate stores.

3. Food

There are a variety of restaurants and quick eats at the outlets.

4. Kiosks

There are kiosks for smaller merchants and other services that are scattered throughout the mall.

5. Child Services

There are multiple stores or services that are for children.

I decided to observe the marketplace/shopping hub near my house known as Camino Real Marketplace. This shopping center was built in 1998. It has everything from high end restaurants to a movie theatre to a whole sale retail store. The farmer’s market of Goleta is held here on Sundays. This place has people and movement at all times. Following are the forces, according to my observations, that define this place.

Forces :

1.  Nearby Offices

With the technology hub close by, I found a lot of professionals walking/driving down here for lunch/ coffee. The DMV is also situated here, which also attracts visitors.

2. Restaurants 

Since there are a lot of stores and offices nearby, a lot of people are taking their lunch breaks here. These are the only restaurants that are within .5 mile radius. For more options, one needs to drive 10 miles to Santa Barbara ( 20 mins) drive one way.

3. Stores

There are a 4 big grocery stores and about 8-9 stores related to hardware, sports equipment, clothing stores, beauty stores, stationery stores, phone carrier etc. This also attracts a lot of foot and vehicular traffic here. The farmer’s market is also held here.

4. Housing Properties – Pacific Oaks and Hollister Village

Having a shopping and eating complex so close by has encouraged properties to be built here. Hollister Village (image above) was built last year.

5. Transportation – Bus Stops

Buses to and from downtown and to and from the University pick up passengers, students from this complex too.

Link to Mappings Part 2

Link to Mappings Part 3

I selected Downtown Santa Ana for this project. The area I scouted includes the Civic Center, Fourth Street Market Business district, and Artists Village area. My initial 5 force observations are Restoration, Surveillance, Spirituality, Gathering, and Homelessness.

1 – Restoration of Historic Structures
Santa Ana is one of the oldest cities in Orange County. There are many buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s. An active Historical Preservation society maintains the histories of these buildings and advocates for the preservation and restoration of those that are left.

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2 – Surveillance
At least 5 security surveillance poles have been installed within the last year throughout downtown Santa Ana. The poles are equipped with a camera at the top and at eye level, an emergency 911 call button, and an information request button. The video from the cameras feed back into a central command center. The cameras are part of the city’s response to rising crime in the city. They serve to provide reassurance to visitor’s safety and to protect the business interests of the developing and newly popular area.

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3 – Spirituality, places of worship
Santa Ana is home to a high concentration of churches and places of worship within walking distance of each other, many of them congregating in historic buildings. Some of the religions represented include Catholics, Scientologists, Presbyterians, Christian Evangelicals, Methodists, and Pentecostals,

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4 – Gathering places
The downtown area has many open areas that are host to various cultural and regional gatherings and celebrations throughout the year. These include poetry readings, band performances, art displays, food festivals, farmers markets, art walks, arts & crafts festivals, to name a few. Some venues also host competitive games such as the football stadium and the eSports Arena.

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5 – Homelessness
Homelessness is a problem throughout Orange County but is most visible in Downtown Santa Ana. Within the last 5 years the city has seen an dramatic increase in the homeless population with many people camping out and living on public government property in the Civic Center area. Recently an abandoned transit center have been converted into a homeless shelter in the middle of downtown.

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Link To Mappings Part 2

Part 1

I have selected to observe the space around my office which is part of a larger corporate/retail plaza called Park Place in Irvine, CA off the 405 on Jamboree/Michelson. This entire community is huge and filled with various residential/retail/workspace buildings. It’s a modern and up and coming plaza that’s always crowded. Over the span of two years, many businesses and residential buildings have opened here making this place a popular area in Irvine.

Business Type
Park Plaza is an area comprised of mostly retail, office, and residential spaces. The Campus is the name of the main corporate buildings on the eastern side of the entire plaza. There are about 10+ businesses that occupy all four floors of the interconnected building (Kareo, Houzz, Western Digital, Ingram Micro, St. Joseph Health, Qualcomm, and more).

  

Vegetation
Greenery surrounds the entire plaza – inside and out. It’s all nonindigenous plants. During the construction of the new residential buildings, I saw them bring in tons of palm trees. Offsite and onsite, there are many different types of plants: trees, bamboos, palm trees, bushes, and various other plants that were planted. LBA Realty must have spent a fortune doing the landscaping.

    

Shops
The corporate plaza has many types of establishments. From various stores restaurants, gym, grocery, bank, salon, to residential buildings and businesses. There’s an LA Fitness, Starbucks, Mother’s Market near the shopping plaza and many eateries including Which Wich, North Italia, Ruth’s Chris, and more.

Construction
The area outside my office building has been under construction for over a year and a half. They’ve built new residential buildings, new parking garages, and other various constructions have been underway. It seems like every three months, there’s new building construction, doorways being updated, or new pavements.

Signage
Throughout Park Plaza, I spotted similarly themed displays signs. The signs are all fancy, modern visuals which I thought was very nicely done. On some days, you can see the LBA facilities people cleaning the signs.

   

Part 2

Part 3

 

Link to Hi-Resolution PDF 

Based on the feedback from my peers and the critique sessions, I realized I needed to think outside the box in order to visualize more information that’s not already present. I eliminated the signage force since I didn’t care for it and instead focused on enhancing the remaining forces of business type, variety, vegetation, and construction. I did not include the spatial information in the surrounding areas because it is too distracting.

Changes made:

• Added roads, freeways and the inner details within Park Place
• Provided more insight content and focused on store/office information breakdown in terms of employee size, store capacity, and parking lot utilization
• Utilized patterns to depict and represent certain elements of the site
  • Green for the color of trees, shrubbery and small specks of leaves to depict grass
  • Dotted patterns to represent population density within each space
  • Recognizable icons to visually represent the respective stores to showcase variety
• Attempted to depict all sources of vegetation at Park Place
• Provided an estimate of each construction zone’s completion rate and how large each zone is
• Added the new residential area on the far right of the corporate plazas

The area that I chose for Project 2 is the Mariners Church campus. I have visited at least twice a day every day because my child attends preschool there, and I often have stayed for 2-3 hours.

The reasons why I chose this area are because it is used by a variety of ages-from children to elderly people-and for a variety of activities. I think that it reflects a small society, and it is interesting to me.

The photo below is a map in front of a building. But, it seems difficult to understand the map. Attempts have been made to increase the identities of buildings by marking their shapes on the map, but they do not seem to have any effect. I remember helping a lot of people who were wandering between buildings.

Five forces of this space are as follows:

1.Human activities

Various age groups, from children to adults, use them at different times for various activities such as for religious activities, child and adult learning, exercise and play.

 

2. Purpose of the buildings

Depending on the purpose of each building, the interior of the building is composed of various forms. For example, a student building has a big concert hall, a gym, and activities room.

 

3. Accessibility

The parking lot surrounds the building. People can access every entrance of the building. It is efficient to use the nearest parking lot entrance from the place I visit, in particular, when I visit with a child or a senior.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Flexibility in space

This space is very different from weekday to weekend. On weekdays, there are mostly children who attend pre-school, adults who exercise and learn adults with meetings. On the other hand, on weekends, local markets are held on Saturday mornings, and there are crowded with church activities on Sunday.

 

5. Safety factors

Since children and older adults use this spaces together, I think elements such as cars, stairs, or railings should be displayed well. Also, since the community center is under construction now, it would be necessary to display that  information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The site I chose is my neighborhood. I live in the mid-city, Los Angeles. The major street crossing (San Vicente blvd. and Wilshire blvd.) is just a half block away and creating massive traffic due to metro line construction.

Transformation:
I locate between the two new metro stations city of Los Angeles is building. These major constructions are causing massive inconvenience (dust, noise, road blockage).

Traffic:
I live a half block away from the major intersection normally creates lots of traffic and gets intense during the LA commute time. The transformation is contributing to produce MASSIVE traffic majority of the day. (7:30am to 8:00pm) .

Education
A Montessori school locates across from my apartment building. I hear kids’ high pitch screaming voice from my during the week.

 

Community

Numerous shops (cafes, restaurants, small goods store, clothing stores) lines up on the street attracting locals on the weekdays and bridge and tunnel on the weekends.

Toxin
About a mile east of me, there’s are a spot always releasing the foul smells. I have heard its a smell of sulfa which is coming from the tar pits across from the street. If that is true, I do not understand why tar pits itself doesn’t smell like sulfa.

I chose the Anaheim Packing House as my center, located in the heart of downtown Anaheim. One of the few remaining packing houses from the agricultural era for which Orange County is named, the Anaheim Citrus Packing House is a landmark in both County and City history. The restored Packing House is now a food hall reminiscent of the great public markets of South America and Europe. These markets serve as a resource for the neighborhood (daily food production) and a community gathering space (restaurants and entertainment).

The forces at play:

Parking: During peak hours, it is not uncommon to circle the Anaheim Packing House, searching in vain for a coveted parking space.

Controlled vegetation: There are many instances of architected nature.

People: This popular destination spot is often crowded.

Gathering places for recreation and leisure: The area welcomes human occupancy and encourages free flow of assembly and socialization.

Structures: At the same time, it has areas that contain people and block its inhabitants from outside regions.

The site I chose is our Glendale Creative Campus (GC3). It’s the center of creativity for the Walt Disney Company. Many different segments (brands) and business units come together on this college-like campus, covering 60 acres on what was formerly an air terminal.

 

The Grand Central Air Terminal building was recently rehabilitated and turned into office space and an events venue. It’s mostly used for company events, but can be rented by the public.

 

Original artifacts of the building’s history remain in a small museum area located in the building’s lobby evoke nostalgia.

 

A television shoot is happening outside the main commissary. What you can’t see clearly is that it’s supposed to depict a protest. There were PAs present to ensure no one makes noise or interrupts the shot.

 

Outside, parking is very scarce. Full time employees park in the parking structure, while contractors or freelancers have to find street parking. Often, when visiting this campus, even full time employees try to find street parking because it’s much closer to our destination than hiking to the parking structure.

 

The plantings along the street are lush, but nondescript. Before GC3 officially opened in 2011, we owned all the low-slug, generic industrial buildings in this area. There are very few queues on these buildings to let an average passerby recognize that these are Disney buildings.

 

Yoda is a landmark that sits outside a building that houses many of the Parks and Resorts team members, but also the Interactive Lab where user testing can take place. People from all segments and campuses can book the ground floor conference rooms and Yoda is used as way-finding.

The City of Guanajuato, where I am today, hosts the biggest art and cultural Festival in Mexico. The Festival Cervantino started in 1953 when Enrique Ruedas directed an homage to Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Based on the success of that first event, the city decided to repeat it every year as a mean to bring art in all its forms to Guanajuato.

Statue of Cervantes in Guanajuato

Sign for this year’s Festival Cervantino

It is a momentous occasion for this city as it receives thousands of tourists ready to enjoy the city and hundreds of events occurring in multiple locations of this relatively small city. It is momentous as it transforms this town into something new, ephemeral and unique for 3 weeks.

Crowded streets during the festival

With momentous comes traffic. Lots of it. This force brings this town into standstill and affects how the city moves and develops. Traffic can be define as a clot in a city’s arteries, a force that has a direct effect on people’s mood and behavior.

Video here

Traffic emerging one of Guanajuato’s dozens of mining tunnels now used for traffic.

Since the city receives many dignitaries, there is a strong governmental and police presence. This force affects the city as it adds a sense of importance and status beyond the norm. People in the town will know that something special is going on even without knowing the details of the Festival.

Police Protecting the Streets

The artistic forces that move this festival are the same that affect the city and its design.  The festival draws people from across the country and makes the town feel like a medieval art fair for three weeks. Streets are full of performers, singers and dancers. The effect is clear, and most of all, LOUD

Street artists performing a piece from “Don Quixote”

As the festival develops, each venue is used to house some type of performance. The city is known for its old theaters and churches, which are also turned into festival locations. A venue could be defined as a heat spot, a place where energy is concentrated and then emerges to infuse the whole town

Teatro Juarez

Teatro Principal

Teatro Cervantes

I chose the main intersection of my neighborhood due to its diversity and different forces available, as well as the proximity. This is Forest Hills, a place in Queens – one of the five boroughs of New York City.

Convenience – There are all types of shops, convenience stores, banks and pharmacies. From major brands to mom and pops and street vendors.

Public Transportation – All NYC public transportation is available at this intersection: subway, bus and trains. Transportation takes people to major airports, downtown NYC, Brooklyn, Long Island, etc.

Variety – This area also provides several types of restaurants, fast food and food trucks. Also, due to its diversity this area offers all types of food (Asian, Latin, Middle-Eastern, Italian, Mexican, etc.).

Ethnicities – This intersection is in Forest Hills | Queens – the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world – Although Queens is a big part of NYC, in this area you can find a sample of how diverse the population is: I observed people from everywhere and heard different languages while taking pictures or just walking around.

Busy and Quiet – Around this intersection is extremely busy. Not only serves locals, but it is a way to get to both NY airports. It is also one of the main avenues that connects the local streets to major expressways. On the other hand, two blocks away is pretty residential with low rise buildings in quiet three-lined streets. No sound of the busy intersections at all.

Part 1:

For the purpose of this assignment, I have chosen an area within the city of Irvine that is walking distance from my current place of residence. To gain insights into this site, I decided to walk around my neighborhood and better observe my surroundings.

The first thing I noticed is that I live in a very diverse neighborhood, and am surrounded by residential apartments, commercial buildings and offices as well as two shopping center across one another. One of the shopping centers is small while the other one is fairly large.

 

Traffic:

My site is located on Jamboree road and is very close to the 405 freeway. Hence, heavy passing traffic is one of the first things I have noticed. The volume of the traffic is highly dependent to the time of the day as well as the day of the week. The traffic is consist of people who are driving through Irvine and those who are working in this area, as well as those who are visiting the local businesses and shopping centers.

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Diverse Business Community:

My site is a very small grid within the city of Irvine, however, this little location has a very diverse business community. Ranging from small, privately owned bistro restaurants to chain establishments like Starbucks and Mother’s Market to tall commercial buildings that are home to large corporations such as Zillow and others.

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Vegetation:

The vegetation in this area is not native to the Irvine region.  Since Irvine is a planned city, most vegetation in this neighborhood is planted and maintained by the city itself. Therefore, tall palm trees next to some variation of pines and oaks can be observed.

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New Structures:

The area is filled with buildings of different shapes and sizes (i.e. towers and condos) for different purposes (i.e. commercial and residential), however, one thing that is very obvious to any observer is the number of construction sites and on going projects within the same block. This area is under heavy development and from the signs hanging in the street, one can determine that a new commercial building alongside a new residential community is soon to be added to the city’s real estate market.

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Forgotten place:

One block south and parallel to Jamboree Road is the Carlson Avenue. Unlike Jamboree itself, this street is extremely quiet and is only used by the residents of nearby apartment buildings to access their community. Unlike Jamboree that is very clean and well taken care of, Carlson is a forgotten street. The green scene in Carlson is not at all well maintained to the point that several dry spots can be seen on where it suppose to be green grass. On the other side of the Carlson Avenue, there is an untouched and not developed land which is covered by clusters of plants, weeds and grass. This area is not populated at all and I have not seen any foot traffic going to or coming from it.  

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Part 2:

Traffic:

Diverse Business Community:

Vegetation:

New Structures:

Forgotten place:

Part 2 Revision:

Traffic:

Diverse Business Community:

Vegetation:

New Structures:

Forgotten place:

Part 3:

After critique session I improved my maps. Since my focus was Jamboree Road per Jesse’s recommendations. I adjusted my base map to make Jamboree my center. Additionally, I changed my frame to include the 405 freeway which affect Jamboree’s traffic.

My Final map reflects Jamboree’s traffic at 6:00 pm on weekdays, with indicators for high traffic and the elements that can affect it. For example, the traffic on this road is specifically affected by the local shopping and business centers as well as restaurants. My map reflects some of these elements.

Final map in PDF

I choose an intersection at San Jose State University that has heavy foot traffic during school days except for Fridays. I decided to observe the forces affecting the campus from this starting point.

Community

SJSU focuses on connecting students to campus through student organizations and activities. They believe that engaged students are more likely to graduate. A few outside spaces make this possible including the 7th street quad where student organizations and campus services. At other locations, the peer advising group was hosting a barbeque and a student group was practicing Quidditch.

 

 

Defensible Space

SJSU is an urban campus without physical borders. There have been a number of high profile criminal acts in the last year including a sexual predator and attempted kidnapping. I noticed security cameras and emergency call stations to help keep the community safe.

 

 

 

Transportation

The primary modes of transportation on campus are cars, bus, foot, and bikes. Also, I noted skateboards, scooters, and Zipcar stations.

 

 

 

 

Decay and Renewal

A number of buildings at SJSU and the surrounding community are in decay. However, there is a large athletic facility being built and large Engineering facility will be built starting in 2019.

 

 

SJSU as a Public Space

The surrounding community uses the open space on campus to walk their dogs. Also, vendors with carts sell snacks to students.

 

Part 3: Final Map

 

For this final map, I decided to focus on 3 forces: Patience, Debit & Sounds

Patience – incorporating times actors are ‘waiting’ or exercising patience.

Debit – incorporating times actors are spending money

Sounds – reflecting the times a sound will illicit a head-turning reaction

High-quality map

Map with notations

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Part 2: Maps of Forces

Commercial Buildings:

Food Truck:

Patio Courtyard:

Apartment Complexes:

Traffic:

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Part 1

I chose to observe the space around my office. The center is the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. & Federal Ave. in the Los Angeles/Brentwood area.

Traffic: This intersection is right off the 405 freeway, so there is a lot of traffic. This is seen on Wilshire Blvd, where the street is divided into 6 lanes! Along with the increased traffic, honking, screeching brakes and car accidents are frequently audible.

Food Truck:  A food truck parked outside from 11-3pm every day, on a rotation basis. We never know which food truck is scheduled to come, so its a surprise every day. This brings plenty of foot traffic during lunch hour to peak at the truck and its offerings.

Patio/Courtyard: This space is used for breaks, phone conversations, a meeting space, a place to eat lunch. I’ve seen casual standing conversations, as well as more deep, meaningful conversations. I once even observed someone giving a massage to another!

Commercial Buildings + Apartment Complexes

Commercial Buildings occupy the main roads, while apartment complexes are directly adjacent. This is a very stark contrast in terms of noise, foot traffic, pedestrians, status, appearance, and traffic among others. I can usually tell which pedestrians are residents (walking their dog) vs. employees outside of their office (usually with a colleague or in business attire).

I live in a district called Daikanyama, in Tokyo’s Shibuya ward. Daikanyama is probably Tokyo’s hippest neighborhood, famous for its trendy shops, cafe, galleries, hair salon, restaurants, and boutique shops — some even describe it as the “the Brooklyn of Tokyo.”

I spent an afternoon walking around the neighborhood, below are the five forces and some photos 🙂

Artsy

 

There are lots of either boutique, franchise, quirky stores with fancy architecture, storefront display, and interior design around this neighborhood. People dress the part when they come to Daikanyama, I feel like I am going to a fashion show just walking around the area.

Beauty

 

I notice there are a ton of hair salon, span, barbershops in the area, some on the 1st floor, some on the 2nd or 3rd with big clear glasses so you can see through the cutting actions. There is also a few fusion hair salon combined with a coffee shop or clothing store.

Coffee

Daikanyama probably has the city’s best coffee culture and there are coffee shops and just about everywhere you look, from specialty coffee to code drip coffee, from Japanese style to Western style.

Gourmet

One thing that’s unique about Daikanyama is there are numerous embassies here and a pretty vibrant foreign community, so when it comes to dining, there are a lot of fusion restaurants with a European touch.

Convenience

This is not specifically unique to Daikanyama, but a common scene across Japan. There are convenience stores and vending machines everywhere. The Conbini (convenience store) usually has everything you need, plus a restroom and a dining area. Once you get used to the Conbini scene it’s extremely hard to go back.

Forces Present in the intersection of 40th Street & Campbell, Phoenix, AZ

Traffic– The traffic in this area generated by the homes, businesses and cut-through commuters is very hectic. The city has added turn signals to the stop lights and the businesses have added directional arrows to try to ease traffic flow and prevent car accidents. Below is a drawn diagram of the types of traffic flow at any given moment in the intersection.

Business Type– The types of businesses in the area pose a challenge for one another, primarily, due to inadequate parking. La Grande Orange Grocery, Ingo’s Tasty Food and Postino’s Wine Cafe all have a high volume of parking traffic in the area, but not enough parking to accommodate all of their customers. The limited parking is seen in the first two photos. In the first photo, the circled in blue area shows two businesses next to La Grande Orange. Despite having signs indicating reserved parking, people often ignore them, making it difficult for their customers to get to their store. The third image of the dermatologist office shows their reserved parking area for their clients only, which even has a chain on the yellow pole that can close off one entrance.

  

Human Habitation– Prior to the existence of the businesses in the area, the residential neighborhood was already there, so as businesses moved in, they had to take into account the preexisting neighborhood that they were moving into on multiple levels such as neighborhood structures, city zoning, homes and property lines and consideration as to what people inhabiting the given neighborhood would approve of moving in. Here are some examples of human habitation in the area:

Vegetation– Vegetation is significant because the area is naturally a desert; each plant has been deliberately placed and green areas are designed and meticulously landscaped to feel natural despite being very unnatural for the area. This part of the city especially, has a high demand for non-desert landscapes, so homes, condos, apartment complexes and business all plant grass, bushes, trees, flowers and other types of plants to accommodate the demand for green space by the locals in the area, so designs must accommodate for the inclusion of vegetation no matter what. Below is a collage of some intentionally planted vegetation.

Locals– This particular community is hyper-concerned with the “keep it local” concept; every single business that moves into the area must be a local business, and within that, retail businesses cater to the local appeal, frequently offering locally sourced and grown foods in restaurants and local logo merchandise. Below are two examples of the pro-local merchandise that the locals in the area have a high demand for, as well as the local theme in La Grande Orange Grocery; this part of town is known for its citrus trees as having once been a citrus grove.

 

 

Rabbit Ear Farm is a dynamic space my husband’s family developed over the last 35+ years. When they bought the land, it was hard pack, having been stripped of its top soil, barren of trees or permanent water. It covers 20 acres but the core of the farm is the stretch of 2-3 acres immediately surrounding the house. Over time, they have built not only a home but a wide variety of vegetable gardens, orchards, flowers and lawns that has become an oasis on the high prairie overlooking the John Day River and the Strawberry Mountain Range. They astutely bargained for the water rights with the land, and animals flock to this year-round source of habitat, food and water. My in-laws, Mark & Sandy, work the land nearly full time and harvest an abundance of fruits and vegetables feeding themselves and their community.

Five Forces

Movement Patterns
The farm is organized around comings and goings to town, farming & gardening activity, homesteading work, recreational activity and animal activity. This includes daily bird feedings, four-wheeling, the name-sake rabbit scurryings, and mundane household tasks like emptying the compost in the back acreage for deer. Enjoy a quick tour of some of these paths and roads in this video captured on the four-wheeler.

 

Plantings

A great deal of the work and function of the farm is its plantings. There are permanent features of trees, that provide shelter and food from the orchard, and yearly plantings in the large garden, the small garden and in the potting shed, which functions as a hot house. Over the years Mark and Sandy have tested a wide variety of heirloom varietals to find the ones best suited to the high elevation and limited growing season, as well as taste and beauty of the fruits and vegetables. To document this activity I captured this year’s farming log.

Water

The water rights to the farm make this place possible. It is only connected to the grid through power lines. All other resources—gas, food, fertilizer—are brought in. The abundance of water defines the farm, from its crops, to the ponds, to the wildlife.

Human Activities

The patterns of work and relaxation mix between working on the farm and enjoying its abundance and beauty. While it is remote, it has a constant stream of visitors.

Animals

The farm attracts animal visitors as well. Bunnies, ground squirrels, tree squirrels, song birds, birds of prey, badgers, deer, mice, feral cats and a long string of family pets have all made this their home. The deer and cattle of neighboring ranchers lurk hungrily at the fence.