Whyte vs. Gibbs

1.  To what extent do Whyte and Gibbs approach city design from different perspectives? Do you find one more convincing than the other?

Whyte and Gibbs do, indeed, have different perspectives regarding city design. Gibbs' perspective is a bit more narrow - he focuses specifically on Main Streets. Gibbs talks about places he has seen, been, or helped design as examples of a good or bad "Main Street." His main focus is that Main Streets need to borrow ideas and design elements from malls in order to become more commercially prosperous. He gives specific aspects that are most important, such as external store appearance, window displays, seating arrangements, sidewalk material, and traffic - both pedestrian and automotive. Whyte, on the other hand, is much less concrete about his approach. While Gibbs tends to clearly state what works and what does not, Whyte talks about example after example, with seemingly no particular outline in mind. Furthermore, Gibbs focuses specifically on Main Streets whereas Whyte discusses city centers as a whole. I find Gibbs' style more convincing because his writing seems more genuine, more credible than Whyte's - which is simply due to how Whyte's approach seems based more on opinion and observation. Moreover, Gibbs' more focused style of writing, as compared to Whyte's jumbled, confusing narrative, certainly contributes to this conclusion.

2. What elements of an urban area are particularly attractive to you? What elements repel you?

To me, the most important and attractive elements of an urban area are safety, cleanliness, and the amount of other people there. Corresponding to this, the elements that repel me are danger, a dirty appearance, and little no activity - as well as irritating smells and sounds. Many urban areas can be dangerous, so safety is probably the first and foremost thing that I consider before venturing out. As for cleanliness, I feel like the general appearance of an urban area is something most people consider, and if there is trash or litter everywhere and the sidewalks and storefronts look dirty, the store displays, merchandise, and all the rest are almost rendered irrelevant. Lastly, as I mentioned in class, I prefer to be in an urban area where there are plenty of people around. Not only does it make me feel more safe, but it reassures me that there must not be anything terribly wrong about the place, since other people are there too. In addition, an "amiable kind of congestion," as Whyte put it, brings a sense of vitality and pleasant hustle and bustle to an urban area.