Tiffany Lopinsky

Tiffany Lopinsky

My sketches of Copley Place and Newbury Street reveal how these shopping spaces differ in terms of the types of activities they foster and their interaction with the surrounding environment. It’s clear that there is much more foot traffic on Newbury Street compared to Copley Place. Perhaps because it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Newbury Street was packed and people flowed in and out of the shops, cafes, and restaurants, often leading to congestion on the sidewalk. Additionally, pedestrians interacted with the surrounding space by holding up cars as they crossed Gloucester Street and Fairfield Street and j-walked across Newbury.

Copley Place, while offering a similar selection of shops, feels much different. The modern design, white and marble floors, wide walkways, and lack of public seating, make it feel like a space that you only move through, rather than linger. When I visited, there was little activity, and visitors appeared to only be strolling through; in the space between the Prudential bridge and the waterfall, I hardly observed anybody walking in or out of the boutiques or shops, Starbucks being the exception. Also, compared to Newbury, which feels distinct yet still integrated into the rest of Boston, Copley Place feels oddly removed from the rest of urban space. A sense of seclusion from the rest of the city is created by the elevation, the hidden exits and entrances that are at least a story below most of the mall’s foot traffic, and the contrasting design style from the rest of the Back Bay properties.