Activities in public open space: buildings with different setbacks, levels of permeability and uses

Abstract

This paper investigates the effects of building with different setbacks, levels of visual and functional permeability, and uses on the ground floor, considering the optional and necessary activities, in movement and stationery in the use of public open space. The study was carried out in seven blocks, in the CidadeBaixaneighborhood, Porto Alegre, RS, selected according to the following characteristics: predominance of buildings with street alignment and next to the sidewalks, and buildings with front setback, considering the front limit of the lot; predominance of residential and non-residential uses on the ground floor. The data were collected through behavioral observations, physical measurements and questionnaires applied to residents of the seven selected blocks, resulting in 194 respondents and analyzed in the SPSS/PC program. The results reveal that blocks with ground floors predominantly with non-residential uses and with a greater diversity of uses, located close to the street with doors and windows facing the sidewalk tend to attract more people and contribute to the use of the public open space. Moreover, all the optional activities, standing and sitting, and almost all the necessary ones, in this type of block, regardless of the period, are larger than in the other analyzed blocks.

Keywords:
Activities in public open space; Different building setbacks; Levels of visual permeability; Levels of functional permeability; Uses on the ground floor