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​Built Environment
by Nagiko
Sub-Sections
​Introduction
“The street represents for many young people a place to express themselves without close parental or ‘adult’ control, at little or no cost in commercial or financial terms. – For many young people the street is an important site for social activity” (Malone, 2002, p.162).
Many young people, particularly so-called “street kids”, do not possess the economic status to participate in economic-driven societies (White, 1990, as cited in Wilson, Rose, & Colvin, 2010, p.13). As Malone shows above, lacking in financial resources and looking for independence away from adults’ surveillance and restrictions, youth are reliant on the street/public spaces as a few or free cost of place to hang out with their peers. Although youth’s lack of economic power doesn’t mean their non-participation, current consumerism-centered society often make young people compelled to spend a big amount of time in public spaces (Wilson, Rose, & Colvin, 2010, p.15). This social context can be seen in the site of Miyashita Park as this place is where normal youth, not wealthy kids, are likely to appear. Thus, for those youth to have access where they can prioritize social activity over economic activity is very important.
At Miyashita Park, youth's preferences toward sociality over consumerism become prominent due to its building structure. Constructing four floors in total, our initial ethnography revealed that consumption activity takes a central place from 1st to 3rd floors as retail shops and restaurants occupy the most area of each floor. On the other hand, the top floor (4th) of the building is the rooftop where economic activity discrete its presence and social activity is much more prioritized compared to the other three floors. In cooperation with the fact that shops and restaurants at Miyashita Park are rather high-end compared to, for example, the stores in Shibuya 109 which is a popular shopping place for young girls, for those young people who come to Miyashita rather appreciate being on this rooftop to hang out with their peers at no economic cost and occupy the place. These young people become such an inconspicuous presence on the bottom three floors compared to their prominent existence on the rooftop. What this indicates is that the way spaces are designed defines potential users and expected behaviors. The built environment, which refers to “all human-made structures in our towns and cities that provide and support human activities” (Smith & Brooks, 2013, p.82), becomes one key driver for bringing people into a particular place and also excluding them out.
Regarding the research focus, given that youth are most visible on the rooftop, this research will focus on the rooftop of Miyashita Park. Although consumerism Vs. social activity matters for youth to be on the rooftop, for them to be able to conduct sociality at this place should be affected by various factors of the built environment. Exploring many different aspects of the built environment of Miyashita rooftop and how those young users actually use/experience this environment will make it able to understand what built environment welcomes/attracts youth and will also provide insights to the understanding of the establishment of “youth specific space” on the rooftop.
(The Map and Structure of Miyashita Park)
Built Environment
Before going into the main parts, the definition of the built environment should be clarified:
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“The built environment is the establishment and formation of our external surroundings, which influences our development and behavior. The built environment refers to all human-made structures in our towns and cities that provide and support human activities, ranging in scale from private homes to city megastructures. Furthermore, the built environment includes the landscape that we have modeled to better suit our purpose, for activities such as agriculture, transport, and entertainment. The built environment is a material, spatial, and cultural product developed by people for living, working, and leisure”
(Smith & Brooks, 2013, p.82).