Assignment I

Observation Assignment
Purpose -
To get first hand information about a site (a street, a mall, a district, ... ...).
To organize your senses of a place.
To develop the problems and issues that interest you most.

Time-
The time of day you choose will be important. You may need to go back at different times of the day or week to account for important variations in activity or users.

Techniques-
Walk the area at least twice and keep careful notes. At least, describe the mix of people you see, and what they are doing. What evidence do you have about why they are there or what their activities or about whether they are comfortable in the environment?

Look for evidence in the behavior, attitudes, etc. of the people about the issues that you associate with the site.

Physical environment is also important. Describe the storefronts, the housing, the sidewalks or the landscaping with a particular eye to what stands out and what is an area where people gather.

The interaction between people and this environment is significant. How do they relate to it? What is the traffic like and how does it affect the users? Is there any sense of threat, or is the place welcoming? Describe your feeling about this environment.

Observation first and then conduct short inteviews with the users, if possible.

No need to include every detail. Be selective. The point here is to "see" things that have implications for your study. Pay particular attention to anything you find unusual or odd. You may not be able to interpret it right away, but you might have further understanding of it later.

Bring a camera (if you have one) for taking a few snapshots of the environment. Consider making diagrams to illustrate what you notice. Be very selective however, in anything you choose to picture. Any picture should have a purpose. Do not try to map or list everything.

You need to take some field notes. One technique is to use paper which you have divided in half with a vertical line. On one side of the line record your observation as concretely and objectively as possible, without comment or interpretation. (e.g. "most people keep walking" but not "this is a place for commuting rather than encountering") On the other side of the vertical line put your interpretations, guesses and questions which you may need to further investigate. (e.g. "this street might be a transitory area between two landmarks", "Is there a centre attracting people to move forward?")

References
馬國明＜街頭掠影＞《路邊政治經濟學》香港：曙光。