Making place on the urban street

Abstract

This research examines the role of the physical environment in the creation of place on the urban street in two locations in Nashville, Tennessee. Place theory and the qualities of a good urban street were studied in an effort to identify physical components necessary to create place on the street. Then, two areas in Nashville that have sought to create place through the use of a form based code, the Urban Design Overlay, were examined via an on-street questionnaire designed to collect user input on the physical environment as well as gauge the user’s sense of place on the street. This study seeks to evaluate the Urban Design Overlay as a tool for placemaking and the questionnaire as an evaluative tool in that effort.