Greater Malé RegionChapter 02 · Toolkit
2.2The toolkit
Before going on site, each group read one text on public life and turned it into two field instruments, called toolkits. Every group then used all six, the same way, in its own area. We surveyed each island on two days, one weekday and one rest day, each in three blocks: 10:00 to 12:00, 16:00 to 18:00 and 20:00 to 22:00. Because the method is the same, the three islands can be set side by side.
MALÉ GROUP
Public Spaces and Public Life: Perth 2009
Gehl Architects, 2009
1Toolkit 1 · LAND USE
Land use and building scale
What each street face is made of: storeys, uses, doors and blank wall, graded A (active) to E (inactive).
Surveyed, street segments:
- 10
- Malé
- 15
- Villimalé
- 6
- Hulhumalé
2Toolkit 2 · ACTIVITY
Activity, comfort and safety
What people do when they stop in the street, and what lets them stay.
Surveyed, survey areas:
- 6
- Malé
- 8
- Villimalé
- 6
- Hulhumalé
VILLIMALÉ GROUP
Soft City: Building Density for Everyday Life
David Sim, 2019
3Toolkit 3 · DENSITY
Density and housing quality
How densely each plot is built and lived in, beside a housing quality score out of 32.
Surveyed, plots:
- 36
- Malé
- 69
- Villimalé
- 8
- Hulhumalé
4Toolkit 4 · CONDITION
Layering vs stacking
Whether a building changes from front to back and from ground to roof, or repeats one floor.
Surveyed, plots:
- 36
- Malé
- 60
- Villimalé
- 8
- Hulhumalé
HULHUMALÉ GROUP
Cities for People
Jan Gehl, 2010
5Toolkit 5 · MOVEMENT
Walking activity and movement count
Everyone passing a line across the street in ten minutes, tallied in shade or in sun.
Surveyed, survey areas:
- 6
- Malé
- 8
- Villimalé
- 6
- Hulhumalé
6Toolkit 6 · PERCEPTION
Public space quality and microclimate
Thirteen qualities of each public space, from safety to shade, scored 1 to 5.
Surveyed, spaces:
- 10
- Malé
- 11
- Villimalé
- 6
- Hulhumalé
From toolkits to themes
Each theme reads two or three toolkits together.
A theme is one idea about public life, tested with what the toolkits measured and what we saw on site. Each theme is read on Malé, Villimalé and Hulhumalé in turn, then the three are compared.
| Theme | 1Land use | 2Activity | 3Density | 4Condition | 5Movement | 6Perception |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Roads are made for movement, not stayingThe street edge against how many people pass and how many stay. | uses toolkit 1 | uses toolkit 2 | not used | not used | uses toolkit 5 | not used |
| 2Shade dictates movement, not distanceWhere people walk and stop against where the shade falls. | not used | uses toolkit 2 | not used | not used | uses toolkit 5 | not used |
| 3Built form vs public lifeDensity and ground-floor use against what people do outside. | uses toolkit 1 | uses toolkit 2 | uses toolkit 3 | not used | not used | not used |
| 4Density is not the problem, poor design isEach plot’s density against its housing quality score. | not used | not used | uses toolkit 3 | not used | not used | not used |
| 5Vehicles take more open spaceConflicts with motorbikes and scooters against the people counted in the same areas. | not used | uses toolkit 2 | not used | not used | uses toolkit 5 | not used |
the theme uses this toolkit not used
HOW EACH THEME RUNS
- 1 Maléthe finding on this island
- 2 Villimaléthe finding on this island
- 3 Hulhumaléthe finding on this island
- 4 The three comparedone conclusion for all three