Public Space
Shared physical environments and how they shape the experiences people have in them. Small details—a bench, a light, a bit of shade—tend to decide who a space actually welcomes.
What density actually buys a city, and what it quietly costs
More people per block means shorter commutes and busier sidewalks. It also means less room for error in everything from noise to garbage collection, and cities rarely budget honestly for that trade.
What a park bench says about who a city was actually designed for
A bench looks like a small, neutral piece of furniture. Where it’s placed, how long it invites you to stay, and who it’s built to exclude say more about a city’s priorities than most policy documents.
Designing for a wheelchair quietly made the whole building better
Curb cuts were built for wheelchairs and ended up serving strollers, delivery carts, and rolling luggage far more often. Accessible design keeps producing this pattern, almost by accident.
Sound design is doing more work than visitors notice
Ambient sound shapes how long visitors linger and how they feel in a space, often without them consciously registering that sound is involved at all.
What a park bench says about who a city was actually designed for
A bench looks like a small, neutral piece of furniture. Where it’s placed, how long it invites you to stay, and who it’s built to exclude say more about a city’s priorities than most policy documents.
Designing for a wheelchair quietly made the whole building better
Curb cuts were built for wheelchairs and ended up serving strollers, delivery carts, and rolling luggage far more often. Accessible design keeps producing this pattern, almost by accident.
Sound design is doing more work than visitors notice
Ambient sound shapes how long visitors linger and how they feel in a space, often without them consciously registering that sound is involved at all.