# The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces

The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces is a 1980 book and a film by US sociologist William H. Whyte that records and analyses human behaviour in public space through a number of case studies in Manhattan, New York.

## Background

The book and film describe Whyte's analytical process and approach to evaluating and understanding a series of public spaces, mostly small parks, squares and office tower plazas in Manhattan, New York City. The book summarised research undertaken as part of the Street Life Project for the New York City Planning Commission that Whyte had collated since 1969.

## Chapters

The book is set out with the following eleven thematic chapters:
* The Life of Plazas
* Sitting Space
* Sun, Wind, Trees, Water
* Food
* The Street
* The “Undesirables”
* Effective Capacity
* Indoor Spaces
* Concourses and Megastructures
* Smaller Cities and Places
* Triangulation

## Public spaces analysed

A total of 18 small urban spaces in Manhattan were comparatively analysed. The majority of public spaces were located in Midtown Manhattan. All spaces were built in the post World War II era and a majority are forecourts or public spaces associated with a modern commercial office towers. Paley Park and Greenacre Park were included as they are predominantly paved public spaces in the city with similar patterns of use as the other 16 locations.
The following list shows the original collection name of each site in the first column as used in graphs and charts in the book. Where building names have changed since 1980 this is noted.
Sites in Manhattan recorded and analysed (listed in order of graphs published in book) :
| Name in book | Place | Building | Location | Type | Architect | Year |
| 77 Water | 77 Water Street | Seventy Seven Water | 77 Water Street Financial District, Manhattan, New York City | Public Spaces | Gensler | 1970 |
| Greenacre Park | Greenacre Park | — | 217 East 51st Street, New York City | Pocket park with fountain | Hideo Sasaki | 1971 |
| Time-Life | Time Life Square | Time-Life Building | 1271 Avenue of the Americas, Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Plaza | Wallace Harrison of Harrison, Abramovitz, and Harris | 1960 |
| Exxon | Exxon Plaza | Exxon Building (now 1251 Avenue of the Americas) | Rockefeller Center, 1251 Avenue of the Americas, New York City | Sunken plaza with large two-tier pool and fountains | Wallace Harrison | 1971 |
| Paley Park | Paley Park | — | 3 East 53rd Street, New York City | Pocket park with fountain | Zion Breen Richardson Associates | 1967 |
| GM | GM Plaza | GM Building | 767 Fifth Avenue, New York City | ---- | Emery Roth & Sons | 1968 |
| Seagram's | Seagram Plaza | Seagram Building | 375 Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Plaza with water | Ludwig Mies van der Rohe; Philip Johnson | 1958 |
| JC Penney | JC Penney Plaza | JC Penney Building (now 1301 Avenue of the Americas) | 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York City | Plaza | Shreve, Lamb & Harmon | 1964 |
| 345 Park Avenue | 345 Park Avenue Plaza | 345 Park Avenue Building | 345 Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Plaza | Emery Roth & Sons | 1969 |
| Exxon Minipark | Exxon Building (now 1251 Avenue of the Americas) | 1251 Avenue of the Americas | Rockefeller Center, 1251 Avenue of the Americas Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Pocket park with fountain | Wallace Harrison | 1975 |
| Burlington | Burlington House (former) | 1345 Avenue of the Americas | 1345 Avenue of the Americas Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Plaza | Emery Roth & Sons | 1969 |
| 277 Park | 277 Park Avenue | — | 277 Park Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Plaza | Emery Roth & Sons | 1964 |
| 630 5th Avenue | 5th Avenue plaza | International Building (Rockefeller Center) | Rockefeller Centre,630 5th Avenue, Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Plaza | Raymond Hood | 1935 |
| CBS | CBS Plaza | CBS Building | 51 West 52nd Street, Midtown Manhattan, New York City | Plaza | Eero Saarinen | 1965 |
| Pan Am | Pan Am Plaza | Pan Am Building (now MetLife Building) | 200 Park Avenue, New York City | Plaza | Emery Roth & Sons, Pietro Belluschi, and Walter Gropius | 1963 |
| ITT | ITT Plaza | ITT Building (Brown Rock) | 1330 Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), New York City | Plaza | Emery Roth & Sons | 1965 |
| Lever House | Lever House Plaza | Lever House | 390 Park Avenue, New York City | Plaza | Skidmore, Owings & Merrill | 1952 |
| 280 Park | 280 Park Plaza | Two Eighty Park Avenue | 280 Park Avenue, New York City | Forecourt and sitting walls | Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates | 1971 |

## Film version

In 1980 Whyte also released a documentary film with the same title as the 1980 book. On release the 16mm film could be purchased for $750 or hired for $75 on two reels from the Municipal Art Society of New York.
In 1981 a lightly re-edited version was made by Nova for broadcast on PBS, titled "City Spaces, Human Places".