Upon observing both Copley Place and Prudential Center Malls, and Newbury Street, distinct differences between the two become apparent. On the first floor, the shopping centers of Copley Place and the Prudential Center have wider walkways spanning the space between the two shops on either side with small kiosks placed at a diagonal in the center of the walkways. The floor has different materials that mimick a track: a darker brick-like zigzag pattern highlights the movement that I felt I was supposed to follow. In this way, movement seems to be constricted to this ‘brick road,’ which, in one way, allows for a constant flow of people that is minimally interrupted – only once in a while by those distracted by their phone or those who stop abruptly, suddenly intrigued by a window temptation. Levels two and three also exhibit this same ‘runway-like’ design bordered by white to highlight the path of movement. The upper floors look over the first floor of the plaza, which allowed a feeling of enormity, and allow light from the glass ceiling to penetrate to the lower floors. On Newbury Street, however, walkways are narrower and the flow of traffic is sporadic. Frustrating at times during my visit on a balmy Sunday afternoon, the narrower walkways were jammed with those leisurely strolling the span of the sidewalk and others stopping in the middle to have a quick chat. With no visual lines to constrict pedestrian traffic to a certain space, the area was more liberally utilized. There were no rules for pedestrian flow on Newbury Street. In terms of entrances and exits, paths from the sidewalk lead away from the main sidewalk to the brownstone buildings themselves. Three tiers of shops, cafes, and restaurants are visible: one could descend into the Thinking Cup, quickly enter into Georgetown Cupcakes on the same level as the sidewalk, or ascend a small set of stairs to a fashion boutique. Entrances were, however, sometimes confusing, as these stores seemed to be stacked up on one and other. Although I would always prefer the open air of Newbury Street, the shopping centers hold a certain organization that Newbury does not possess.
After comparing my sketch to the Google Maps representation of Harvard Square, I realized that my perception of urban spaces is shaped heavily by the amount of time I spend in certain places. As an upperclassman, I spend most of my time in the houses by the river, or in the shops in the square; as a result, I made the size of the houses and stores much larger than the size of Harvard Yard, where the freshmen live. However, in reality, the “width” of both those areas is about the same. I also ignored a lot of the residential areas in the square that I’ve never spent time in because they didn’t occur to me as I imagined the square in my head. Another striking difference in my map was that I included many more right angles than the city has in reality. For example, because I’m accustomed to assuming ordinary geometric shapes in urban spaces, I drew Cambridge Common park as a rectangle, whereas the real park is a much more round-shaped triangle. I also drew Garden St., the street to the quad, at a right angle to the main street, while it is actually very diagonal in real life.
In my sketches, I wanted to capture how the people in the area and lights in the mall shaped my experience—essentially creating “illusions” of what the spaces entailed. On Newbury St., stores were relatively removed from the street; many had stairs leading up or down to the entrance, creating a barrier between potential customers and the shop. Since I didn’t enter most stores, my perception of what kind of stores were there was heavily influenced by what people carried. For example, near ice cream stores, people strolled down the streets with giant ice cream cones, creating the sense that it was a dessert-heavy district. Further down the block, where there were more clothing stores, the presence of many shopping bags made me feel like I was in a mall. Upon referring to a list of Newbury St. shops, I realized that there were many more stores than I noticed, because the things people carried created an illusion that those objects—Ben & Jerry’s cones, bubble tea, Nike bags, etc.—were all that mattered. The Prudential center offered a very different atmosphere, because the stores were more prominently intruding on my experience. The first thing I noticed was that many stores had very white, fluorescent lights that felt artificial and almost obnoxious, in contrast to the open space on Newbury St. In addition, while on Newbury St. people carried their ice cream as they strolled leisurely along the street, people in the Prudential rushed back and forth with mostly shopping bags, and those that did have snacks, such as frozen yogurt, clumped together on the benches in the center of the mall. Compared to the open street, the Prudential felt more confined and unnatural, despite offering similar types of stores as Newbury St.
Sketch 1 Kevin Servellon I definitely cut some space between the Quad and Yard, and then I made the area below the the yard too big. It is obvious that I don’t pay attention when I am on the shuttle because I missed a significant portion between the yard and quad. Since I spend most of my time in the quad or yard, I feel as if it were much easier to draw those places to detail. I admired the aesthetic and architectural features of both areas. When I am on foot I definitely take more time to admire and become acquainted with what is around me. I never really go and explore the river houses or the athletic centers, so it explains as to why they are so contorted. Then we get to the Harvard Business School where I have absolutely no idea what is going on. After a close analysis, I have come to the conclusion that we never really know an entire city. I am only familiar with a small portion of the campus that I spend everyday at. At the same time these certain parts of a city become part of our identity, and we learn to navigate them much more efficiently. After studying this map, I definitely want to explore the neighborhood I live in. Cities have so much more to offer than meets the eye.
My sketch was done as if I was a cartography making a map of the city. My focus was not on how individual buildings appeared but rather how locations related to each other spatially. After finishing my sketch, I took a look at an actual map to find a glaring error in my sketch staring at me: the size of Harvard Yard. I had completely underestimated the size of the yard, making it about a fourth of its actual size. Another error, although unexpected, was my map’s orientation. I had always thought of Harvard Yard’s square shape to be representative of the cardinal directions, but apparently the Yard’s top right corner points at an angle of 25o from North. It"looks"I"included"all"the"buildings"I"know"about"correctly."On"some"lots"with"tall" structures"I"actually"drew"3d"towers"because"they"were"so"vital"in"my"perception"of"the"place." There"is"also"the"weird"phenomenon"of"lots"getting"larger"and"larger"the"farther"away"from"the" Yard"they"got."This"really"highlights"how"I"make"the"places"I"care"about"larger"than"they"actually." Although"the"Yard"is"important,"to"me,"to"much"more"goes"on"in"Harvard’s"houses,"which"is"why" I"imagined"them"to"be"bigger."Then"again,"when"I"think"of"campus,"I"picture"the"Yard"as"its" center"so"I"started"with"that"and"drew"outwards,"so"its"possible"that"everything"else"grew"larger" because"I"started"out"with"a"Yard"that"was"too"small."
My sketch was done as if I was a cartography making a map of the city. My focus was not on how individual buildings appeared but rather how locations related to each other spatially. After finishing my sketch, I took a look at an actual map to find a glaring error in my sketch staring at me: the size of Harvard Yard. I had completely underestimated the size of the yard, making it about a fourth of its actual size. Another error, although unexpected, was my map’s orientation. I had always thought of Harvard Yard’s square shape to be representative of the cardinal directions, but apparently the Yard’s top right corner points at an angle of 25o from North. It looks I included all the buildings I know about correctly. On some lots with tall structures I actually drew 3d towers because they were so vital in my perception of the place. There is also the weird phenomenon of lots getting larger and larger the farther away from the Yard they got. This really highlights how I make the places I care about larger than they actually. Although the Yard is important, to me, to much more goes on in Harvard’s houses, which is why I imagined them to be bigger. Then again, when I think of campus, I picture the Yard as its center so I started with that and drew outwards, so its possible that everything else grew larger because I started out with a Yard that was too small.
The most significant insight that arises from my map is that the image of one’s world can be collapsed into the places he or she frequents. It is imminently clear that my overall directional and spatial knowledge of Harvard’s campus is relatively complete. Buildings are generally placed in the correct orientations with respect to one another. However, despite this latent perception, the disproportionate percentages of space taken up by certain areas, and the absence of some buildings altogether, represent my weaknesses. It seems that I have structured my map surrounding my daily activity. For example, the road from the Quad, where I live, to the Science Center holds a central location in the image, and is perhaps too isolated and large compared with reality. Conversely, I know nothing about some buildings and streets (not even locations), such as at the Law School. These unknowns therefore do not even appear on the map. Although I did attempt to depict certain buildings I know little about, like University Hall, I was unable to recall any details of their structure. Viewers will note that I provide icons superimposed on several buildings. These represent the emotions I usually experience at those locations. Those daily sensations — like hunger, stress (racing against the clock in the Science Center), or happiness when I am home in Currier House — shape my depiction of the campus. These locations (in addition to the Quad) serve as my center of campus and stand more prominently in my mind than all of Harvard Square, any part of the athletic area, or any River House. Finally, the places that I frequent, daily, can be said to provide a temporal dimension to the map by uniting past, present, and future. Notably, I excluded the T Station, which symbolizes that the daily walk that I have described is my commute.
Copley Place and the Prudential Center were most similar in their spatial layouts, and Newbury Street tries to copy that, however only Copley Place features a space for reflection and integrates nature. Both Copley and the Prudential Center feature a relatively bright, well-lit, open layout. The side bays, which feature mostly shops, converge on what seems to be a central area, as I depict in my sketches. However, at Copley, this area represents a respite from the commercial activity taking place in the side walkways. Plants line it, and there is a fountain that restfully roars. The raised edges of this area separate it from the surrounding shopping wings and signify that a different type of activity occurs here. The geometric, bright red floor patterns, coupled with the sounds of the water foster pensiveness here, and there are benches upon which to think and socialize. In contrast, in the Boylston Arcade, there are no benches nor significant greenery and instead, the area features only shopping booths. There is less of a sense of “zen” due to the absence of natural elements. This space is bare and almost washed out due to a larger dome — and has simple, white floor patterns. There is no elevation, and this central space features shopping signs. It therefore does not distinguish itself from shopping activity. Overall, the two locations are tied together in a sort of trapezoid shape — through elevation from the street and the central walkway connecting them, indicating that they are similar in the types of activities that take place — but they offer some different opportunities for activity. Newbury Street certainly mimics some of the shared qualities, namely convergence of different side roads into a central, more bustling area. However, it is more similar to the Prudential in its focus on commercial activities. Its buildings feature repetitive structures and there are very few places to sit (unless you are dining). There is some vegetation, but the more prominent, numerous shops seem to overpower it.
In comparing my map of Harvard square and campus, I found some striking differences, but also many similarities. The most striking difference was that I drew my map on a straight grid based on the roads in the square, but in reality the roads actually have many twists and turns. I belive my map is an accurate representation of Harvard square, I think the river houses and the yard are particularly accurate because that is where I’ve spent most of my time on campus. I believe that my map is accurate because I think a lot about where I walk everyday, and which routes might be fastest. The quad is not central to my map because it is outside of my sphere of influence. I would say most of my time is spent between the river houses and the athletic facilities. The most difficult of this assignment for me was figuring out how to scale the map so as to include detail but also to ensure that I included the entire square. What I thought was most interesting about this assignment was how this map made me think about the square differently, for example I began the map by drawing out the houses, and based the scale around tat, but I think the most important/entertaining part of the square is the retail.
While Newbury st and the Copley and prudential malls are very close geographically, they represent very different shopping experiences. Copley malls and the prudential center represent a standard mall experience. The physical design involves lots of glass, in the storefronts and plethora of Windows and marbled and tiled floors. Unlike some typical shopping experiences however, these malls house upscale stores almost exclusively, all of which seemed relatively empty on a warm Saturday. All activities at the malls revolved around shopping, everyone there seemed to have a purpose, headed toward one-store or carrying bags towards the exit. This sense seemed to be elevated by the fact that there was no major food court, only sit down restaurants. There was a visible security presence at the malls, more so at the higher end stores, which had security at the door. Newbury st on the other hand offered visitors a plethora of experiences. It's clear from the signage that the street has multiple uses; the sidewalk is covered in a frame signs and other larger advertisements showing off different stores on each block. There are hardware stores, salons, eateries, clothing stores, and many more just on the few blocks between Fairfield and Dartmouth. It's also obvious that there is a greater mix of people on Newbury st, people who have come to shop but also people who have simply come to enjoy being outdoors. There are more children and pets here as well. There are also homeless people on the street, asking for spare change, which was obviously not a feature in the mall, but their presence is minimal here compared to other parts of Boston. Retail shop owners use so age and window displays to entice customers, and to replicate a mall experience. But Newbury st will never truly be like a mall, it will always be more like an open marketplace for more then just shopping.