For my Unit 2 built environment description I chose to observe the Langdale quad. I call it a quad, but the space does not adhere to the literal definition of a quadrangle. A quadrangle or a quad is usually rectangular or square in shape. Our “quad” is more of a backwards L shape with the bridge to Library North serving as part of the longer side. My observations took place at around 9:00AM, so I didn’t get that much of a crowd. Through my observations, I noticed a strange trend. The Langdale quad sacrifices traffic flow for sitting space. Coming down the stairs from Courtland Street, the first thing a pedestrian encounters is a sign board locking the path.
Disruptive Signboard
To the left and right of this are brick cubes containing shrubs, so the pedestrian would have to turn left, as there are no paths to the right, and navigating between two pillars would be really cumbersome. Even if they had chosen to outmaneuver the sign and the blocks they would immediately encounter a set of stairs. The path to the left is flanked by tables on one side and leads to a wall fronted by another row of tables.
A dead end
The arrangement may not seem like a problem, but around mid afternoon this area turns into a bottleneck as large amounts of people try to fit through a relatively narrow opening. From the tables the pedestrian would have to turn right, and walk along a path flanked on one side by tables, and on the other by shrubbery.
These blocks act as makeshift bollards restricting traffic to one central path. These bollards thus reduce the amount of options a pedestrian would have, and force people to follow the windy path navigating around signboards, tables, and each other. The fact that this is the path of least resistance means that this area has two way traffic flow (from the quad to Courtland and from Courtland to the quad) as people try to get around the easy way. This works out great until rush hour. At this time two groups of people collide in an already narrow alley, each trying to go in their respective directions.
“Gauntlet” of tables and shrubs
The result is a warzone, as people try to scramble past each other to get where they need to be. Throughout all of this chaos however, there will e groups of people just lounging around. They sit on the wide lapels of the “bollards”, on the tables, chairs and even the stairs. They make the already hectic situation even worse as they call out familiar faces and cause dead zones in the flow of the traffic. The situation improves around the fountain as the path opens up and allows more options. There are still people hanging out all over the place, on the fountain, on the sides of the path etc. In this regard, the fountain is more like the social hub of the school, while the gauntlet leading up to Courtland Street is an awkward side effect of the layout designed to promote relaxation.
Relaxing by the fountain
All photos taken by the Author
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