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The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces – William H. Whyte

September 30, 2011 by Fosco Lucarelli 3 Comments

Some time ago, friend Luca Diffuse sent us a smart 1979 documentary called The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces, directed by William H. Whyte.

They apparently put the whole thing up on YouTube. (updated with new video on Vimeo) (Seen on Kottke, too).

So here it is: a witty film about social spaces and how they are used by people, why they work, why they don’t, starting from New York’s Seagram Plaza. Enjoy:

Further reading:
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces by Maria Popova, on Brain Pickings

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Comments

  1. Luca Diffuse says

    September 30, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    Fosco, MB, ciao. Venite qui: http://www.abitare.it/it/events/fashion-revolution/

  2. Ben Webb says

    December 20, 2018 at 1:19 pm

    Hey guys,

    The video has been taken down, and I’m struggling to access it elsewhere or even find the dvd – do you have any idea where I could source it?

    Thanks!
    Ben

Trackbacks

  1. Rational Urbanism | Rational Views says:
    March 4, 2018 at 4:16 pm

    […] The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces – William H. Whyte […]

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