Curriculum

Six modules, moving from method to comparison

The course is organized so each module builds on observational habits formed in the one before it. You can move through modules in order, or jump to the topic you are most curious about, though the sequence is designed with a particular progression in mind.

A laptop displaying a recorded lesson about observing public space

Module 1

Foundations of Public Life

An introduction to the observational method used across the course: how to record a space without shaping what happens in it, how to log activity at set intervals, and how to distinguish a slow morning from a genuinely underused space.

Recording without influencing behaviour
Time-lapse logging and activity counts
Distinguishing quiet hours from chronic emptiness

Outdoor cafe seating along a busy plaza edge with people walking past

Module 2

Plazas: Thresholds and Edges

A close study of how the buildings, shopfronts, and entrances surrounding a plaza shape its use, often more than the plaza's own paving or furniture. Includes comparison footage from squares with active ground-floor frontage against ones lined by blank walls.

Active frontage versus blank walls
Sun and shade mapping across seasons
Movable seating and its effect on dwell time

People seated on benches in a shaded park under mature trees

Module 3

Parks: Programming and Access

How neighbourhood and civic parks negotiate access, safety, and shared use among different age groups. Includes a look at desire paths, informal sports use, and the balance between quiet zones and organized activity.

Desire-path formation as design feedback
Lighting, sightlines, and after-dark use
Programming for different age groups without conflict

A pedestrian street lit warmly in the evening with people walking

Module 4

Pedestrian Zones in Practice

Streets closed to cars are used differently from squares because most visitors are moving through rather than settling in. This module looks at conversion projects from planning through their first year, and what separates a street that becomes a destination from one that stays a corridor.

Retail frontage and window-shopping behaviour
Seating placement without blocking flow
Daytime versus evening character shifts

A waterfront promenade with people walking, jogging, and cycling

Module 5

Waterfronts and Edge Spaces

Waterfronts, riverbanks, and other linear edge spaces raise their own questions: access points, connection to the surrounding street grid, and how far people are willing to detour to reach the water. This module treats them as a distinct category rather than a variation on the park or plaza.

Access frequency along a linear space
Shared use between walking, cycling, and seating
Connection back to the surrounding street grid

An instructor comparing two city maps side by side with a small group

Module 6

Case Studies: Direct Comparison

The closing module pairs spaces built with similar ambitions that reached different outcomes. Rather than declaring a winner, it walks through the budgets, decisions, and maintenance patterns that produced the difference, and invites students to apply the same comparison to a pair of local spaces.

Paired comparisons across a full year of use
Low-cost interventions and their observed effect
A guided exercise applying the method locally

Format

What the course actually looks like day to day

Self-paced

Lessons are recorded, so you move through modules at whatever pace suits you. Some students finish a module in an evening; others spread it across a few weeks.

Video plus written notes

Each lesson pairs recorded footage with written notes summarizing the framework being applied, so you can revisit the reasoning without rewatching the whole video.

Discussion, not grading

The course includes a discussion space where students share observations from their own local spaces. It is structured for exchange of ideas rather than formal assessment.

Questions about a specific module?

If you are unsure whether a module covers what you're looking for, reach out before enrolling. We are glad to describe the material in more detail.