Activities for the Senses and Sensibilities 2: Studying the Streetscape

Characteristics of Places

Suggest ten places, buildings, rooms, parks, malls, you like or don't like. Complete the following statements:

One of my favorite places is ___________________.

When I am there, I feel _______________________________________________________________________________.

Through discussion, help each other understand what the characteristics of these different places are which make people strongly like or dislike being in them.

Is there a relationship between the physical characteristics of a place and the way it makes many people feel?

Are there certain qualities about places which most people like or dislike?

Why might some people react differently from others?

If there are some places most people don't like, explain why such types of places are built.

Privacy Spots

Walk to a neighborhood park. Select your own privacy spots in which you can sit and reflect for 15 minutes.

What kinds of spots did you select?

How did you spend the 15 minutes? What did you think about?

How did you feel? Did you enjoy the sense of privacy the situation provided?

Return to the classroom and discuss whether it might be possible to rearrange the furniture to provide some (or more) privacy areas you can use when you complete your work. Talk about people's varying need for companionship and for being alone. Describe to each other where and how you find privacy and solitude in your out-of-school lives.

City Scrapbook

Collect pictures of cities of all sizes from various parts of the world. Describe each picture. Such a list might include: congested, beautiful, dirty, busy, overwhelming, inviting, etc. Analyze your reactions to the pictures.

How do you respond to the skyscrapers and dense urban areas?

How do you respond to pictures of malls, sidewalk restaurants, and people sitting on a park bench talking?

What do you think human scale means? Do you prefer places which are built to human scale or doesn't that affect you?

What parts of Albuquerque's built environment have human scale? Which parts do not?

Contest of Mystery Places

Play "Can You Name It? " Bring to class photographs, sketches, or written descriptions of generally known examples of the built environment in the neighborhood. Conduct a contest to see who can name and locate the greatest number of these mystery places.