The Place Diagram is one of the tools PPS has developed to help

communities evaluate places.

The inner ring represents a place’s key attributes, the middle ring its
intangible qualities, and the outer ring its measurable data.

In this fieldwork assignment, not the community, but your newly formed group will evaluate how well public life in your fieldwork site is in
accordance with the character your group attached to that public space. After you evaluated the place’s key attributes by using the Place
Diagram, you will make a conceptual design of spatial interventions and scenarios that would contribute to a more harmonious coexistence of
the character of the space and its public life. Yyou will use the Place Diagram to assess how measurable data and intangible qualities of the
public space contribute to the character you attached to that place.

Question 1: Do the sociability, use & activities, comfort & image and access & linkages add value to that character or not? Or only during certain
times of the day, the season or the year?
Question 2: Based on the evaluation of these key attributes, what scenarios and/or spatial interventions would you propose to harmonize the
character and the key attributes?

Source://www.pps.org
“The Place Game is a tool for evaluating any public space—a park, a square, a
market, a street, even a street corner—and examining it through guided
observation strategies.

The best part about the Place Game? Anyone can use it.

You don’t have to be a planner or an academic. In fact, you don’t need to

know anything about the city at all! You just have to pay close attention to
how you feel in a space… and trust your intuition.”
Source: www.pps.org/blog/place-game-community

Source://www.pps.org
The Place Diagram explained
Key Attributes
These are the four main criteria
to evaluate the quality of any
public space.
Intangibles
The four main aspects can be
evaluated intuitively in function
of a number of a number of
qualities or sub-aspects
Measurements
The four main aspects can also
be measured through a number
of quantitative indicators
!!! Not all key attributes need
to be equally important for
the public space you study !!!
!!! Some qualities may
not be relevant for the
public space you study;
Also they may be rated
either negatively or
positively.
!!! These indicators usually
relate to the larger area
where your public space is
situated. Many may not be
relevant or available !!!!
Step 1 -3 in the preparation workflow: Select a suitable location for the fieldwork

The proposed location can be any public space - a park, a square, a market, a street, even a street corner. It may represent the specific
character of a neighbourhood, or quite on the contrary: one of those anonymous places which we often consider as “non-places”.

The crucial factor in your choice is whether you consider it emblematic for the specific theme you worked on in the ISSUES.

Whether a public space is suitable as a case study can be assessed by considering the four criteria of analysis used in the Place Game:
1. access and linkages;
2. comfort and images;
3. uses and activities;
4. sociability

Step 3 - 4 in the preparation workflow: The “Place Game” – Setting the context

Before the group sets out for the field, they should prepare a rough layout map of the location and its immediate vicinity– including
vegetation and buildings as well as access roads, (availability of) basic amenities, etc. This could possibly be done through Goggle
maps and street view, but it may also require a preliminary scouting.

Such preliminary scouting will benefit drafting an outline of the setup and timing of your fieldwork. This will also require that you
read the fieldwork procedure described in the following pages.
Place Game and Fieldwork Procedure

1. Preliminary steps:

a. Make a lay-out map of public space and its immediate vicinity, how that space is connected to the neighbourhood and the wider city
b. Prepare a description of the public space (sketches, photographs, video, panorama, etc.)
c. Collect whatever facts and figures (statistics, traffic counts, etc.) that are available for the public space where you will conduct fieldwork
(i.e. tfollowing the measurements in the outer circle of the Place Diagram)

2. The “Place Game” – step 1 Initial observation

a. Select 2 or more strategic position to conduct observation of the public space (according to the size of the space and the size of your group:
minimum 2 observers per position)
b. Have every observer in a position conduct individual observations. These observations should not take more than 20 – 30 minutes.
c. Have all observers in each position compare their notes, discuss their perceptions, and make tentative ratings using the observation sheets for
each of the four aspects (Blank form given in the following pages). It is not necessary to give a rating for every sub-aspect – some of them
may not be relevant or not applicable (last column in the observation sheet). Discussions should not take more than 20 – 30 minutes

3. The “Place Game” – step 2: Interviews and engagement

a. Have observers in each position conduct interviews and interact with the users of their part of the public space. They can us e the observation
sheets as a guideline for the interviews.
b. While some observers may be conducting interviews, others may be taking notes of what by-standers and/or passers-by comment or do
while the interviews are being conducted.
c. Interviewers as well as those who engage in a looser way with by-standers or passers-by, should take care to note respondents’ opinions when
they name stakeholders whom they hold responsible for what works in that space or those whom they expect to initiate or implement any
shortfall of that space.
4. The “Place Game” – step 3: Analysis, Final Assessment and Synthesis

a. Once the opinions of 4-6 users for each of the observation points have been collected, the observers again compare notes of every interview
and the observations made during the interviews. They discuss these findings and try to summarize them in a single observation sheet, just like
they did for their own individual. Again, it is not necessary to come to unitary answer: there may be several sub-aspects for which the opinions of
users, by-standers and passers-by remain very different. If that is the case, make a separate note/ comment on that.
b. tAt his point, your group should assess and note down an overall evaluation of each of the key attributes contributes (or not?) as well as
an indication of the stakeholders held responsible for what works (or does NOT work) for the overall character of the place as your group
assessed it initially.
c. All the work conducted as part of the preliminary step, the summary observation sheets resulting from initial observations and those
resulting from interviews and engagement, and the groups final assessment should be gathered. Together this documentmakes up the
assessment of the measurements and intangible attributes of the Place Diagram. It is the basis for the conceptual design decisions proposed
in the next step.

5. The “Place Game” – step 4: Design decisions and conceptual design proposals for scenarios and spatial interventions

The remaining work is to process the overall assessment into a set of conceptual design decisions regarding scenarios and/or spatial interventions that
could improve the balance the character of the place, its users and and its usage. For this stage, there is no prescribed field procedure, since it will
depend on the choice of the public space on the one hand and on the outcome of the “Place Game” on the other hand.

The following pages give blank observation sheets for each of the four aspects of the “Place Game”. Please prepare plenty of copies for your field
observations.
Sociability:
To what extent is this public space marked by or conducive to friendliness or pleasant social relations

Very poor Poor Fair Good Very good No opinion Not relevant /
Not applicable
General appreciation

How do you think this public space scores on

following aspects of sociability:
Diversity: mix of ages, gender, ethnic, religious groups
that present the community at large?
Stewardship: careful & responsible management and
proper maintenance of the public space
Cooperation: do people help each other in keeping the
space clean and accessible?
Neighbourliness: do people know each other? Do they
come here often and by choice?
Pride: do users bring friends and family to visit this place
and meet with others?
Friendliness: do people smile at each other? Do they
help visitors who are lost or need directions?
Interactive: do people talk to each other, stand in
groups or make use of some of the feature of the public
space (e.g. skating, petanque)?
Welcoming: to all ages, gender, ethnic, religious groups,
also people outside the community?
Others…

Comments
Uses and Activity:
To what extent is this public space marked a rich variety of uses and activities

Very poor Poor Fair Good Very good No opinion Not relevant /
Not applicable
General appreciation

How would you score the quality of the uses and

activities in this public space in terms of:
Fun: is there a variety of uses and activities that involve
a mix of ages, gender, ethnic, religious groups that
present the community at large?
Active: is there a variety of uses and activities
throughout the day and in the evening hours?
Vital: do the uses and activities stimulate the lifeliness
of the community at large?
Special: do the uses and activities give an added value to
the community at large?
Real: do the uses and activities support the public
character of the space and its vicinity?
Useful: do the uses and activities benefit the community
at large?
Indigenous: are the uses and activities carried by the
local community (even if they target visitors/ tourists)?
Celebratory: does the space lend itself to regular
celebratory events and/or celebrations for all groups
that present the community as a whole?
Sustainable: do the uses and activities contribute to the
maintenance and upkeep of the space?
Others…

Comments
Comfort and Image:
To what extent does this public space offer comfort to its users and does it have a good public image?

Very poor Poor Fair Good Very good No opinion Not relevant /
Not applicable
General appreciation

How do you this think public space scores on

following aspects of comfort and image?
Safe: is the space safe for all groups of the community
at all hours of the day? Is it sufficiently lit at night? If it
requires security: who provides it and when?
Clean: is the space clean and free of litter? Who takes
care of maintenance and how often does that happen?
Green: does the space provide greenery and is that
offering shade or space for leisure activities?
Walkable: do vehicles dominate pedestrian use of the
space or prevent easy access to the space?
Sittable: does the space offer enough, varied and
conveniently located places to sit for all kinds of users
throughout all hours of the day?
Spiritual: does the space contain symbols, shrines or
statues that contribute to the identity and spiritual well-
being of the community at large?
Charming: Is the space scenic, grand or in any other way
offering a picturesque background for pictures?
Attractive: Is the space inviting for a mix of age, gender
ethnic and religious groups that present the community
as a whole? Does it attract visitors or tourists?
Historic: does the space contain historical elements that
support the identity of the community at large?
Others…

Comments
Access and Linkages:
To what extent is this public space accessible to all users and how well does it link up with the rest of the city?

Very poor Poor Fair Good Very good No opinion Not relevant /
Not applicable
General appreciation

How would you this public space scores on

following aspects of comfort and image?
Continuity: is the space visible from a distance and up
close?
Proximity: is the space within easy reach of nearby
places of public interest (markets, commercial or
residential areas, etc.?
Connected: is the space well connected with the
adjacent buildings and the surrounding neighbourhood?
Readable: do the roads and paths through the space
take people where they actually want to go? Can users
easily distinguish the various zones of the spaces as well
as ways of access and exit?
Walkable: is the space easy to reach and without
obstructions for pedestrians?
Convenient: does the space give access to other public
facilities (public buildings, public transport, etc.)
Accessible: is the space easily accessible through various
modes of transport, and usable – also for people who
are physically or mentally impaired)?
Others…
Comments