Justin Wong

Justin Wong

In my sketches, I sought to portray and accentuate the contrasts between Copley Place, the Prudential Center, and Newbury Street in terms of their roles as public spaces. I chose to create a schematic map of Copley Place to emphasize its claustrophobic feel. I showed how the mall’s only entrances are at its corners, and how it consists essentially of a long, snaking walkway. As I entered the mall at Dartmouth and Stuart Street and walked through, I was struck by Copley Place’s closed atmosphere, underscored by its dark tile floors, elevation changes (the effect of which is that the path is not revealed until you continue to follow it) and relatively low foam ceilings. There is a central atrium where more light comes in, but this plaza is deserted except for a waterfall, and doesn’t serve as a central gathering place. I color-coded the different areas of the mall on my map. I crossed the skybridge to the Prudential Center, which featured glass ceilings (allowing sunlight in), clear signage, and light-colored tile flooring that provided a warmer feeling. The centralized plaza where each shopping arcade converges has kiosks, seating, and is more bustling. And while Prudential Center represents a more cohesive and orderly public space than Copley Place, both pale in comparison to Newbury Street. In my sketch, I depicted the wide sidewalks, orderly pedestrian traffic flow, and store patios that make Newbury an effective commercial and public space. I attempted to capture the street’s signature brick storefronts, wrought-iron fences, and bay windows. I shaded the brick-covered store patios in red to contrast them with the sidewalk on which pedestrians could pass by. Finally, I highlighted the street lamps and trees that further enhance Newbury’s friendliness to pedestrians. Compared to the discrete Copley Place and Prudential Center malls, Newbury is open, with pedestrians free to enter at any block and navigate freely from block to block, and from the Commonwealth Ave promenade past Newbury to Copley Square on the other side.