7 Human Scale

 7

8 Design Principles Used in Creating Social Spaces 

Human Scale

Human scale is another design principle that affects how people use space and connect to one another.  At its base level human scale is the proportion of space in relation to the human dimension.   

Where people feel comfortable, they will move and walk and sit and visit.  They will move through and stay in those spaces more often because they feel comfortable there.  

There are certain proportions in architecture associated with human scale and comfort that have been studied for years.  

Buildings along streets with seats outside and human scale overhead canopy all provide what people need and are looking for.  

Notice the overhead structures, human scaled building lines and paving patterns, separation 

between automobiles and the walkways and tables.  All of this help with human scale.

Seeing people using the spaces and streets is also a human scale element.  Empty streets and spaces are stark and void, unfriendly and uninviting.  We want people to be drawn to use the spaces we design.

Human scale also has relationship to self organization where the scale of the buildings and spaces are such that a normal person can conduct all of their daily life activities in the area where they live.  So this principle can overlap with walkability and accessibility.

Human-scale design and buildings help reduce distances between spaces and people. Due to this closer proximity, people tend to see more of each other and are encouraged to interact and socialize. This social engagement helps create a sense of familiarity and belonging to people and communities.

The difference between large out of scale plazas and the tight human scale plazas and streets exemplifies this principle.  The former are larger than human scale and made to make a person feel small and in awe of their power.  There is large unusable space in these designs.  It is hard to connect socially to people in such an out of scale space.

This larger out of scale plaza has large areas of space where no one would have reason to be.  People move through that space but otherwise it is void space.  Unless you need room for large groups of people to gather or it is visual space to be viewed instead of occupied then this is wasted space.

The smaller scaled plazas and streets were built to function as a home environment of human scale where all of the needs of a person were met in a walkable area.  People can easily meet as they pass one another or as they sit in these spaces.

Even though a space could be designed large, it does not have to be out of human scale.  Include human scale elements that help it still feel comfortable and can be usable space.  Provide building lines, light poles, seating, trees and other over head scaled canopy and people will enjoy the space and use it.

We have the ability to create opportunities for people to connect through our design of space.  Creating comfortable spaces in human scale is one tool in our toolbox.