suuzque1123

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This is a good website that explains the Tookany Creek Watershed partnership. It also has current info and events that are happening in and around the area to support the watershed project and the community.

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This is a post of the audio of Tookany Creek walking at a regular pace near the playground and field.

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Adding a few of these speed humps up and down the streets of Tookany Creek would force drivers to slow down when they are driving. Then add these crosswalk signs in the middle of the street at the crosswalk so drivers would also be forced to notice that they need to stop for the pedestrians.

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Design Feature

To improve this design space I would like to find a way to block out the cars so that everyone could enjoy their time at the park without the noise and pollution of the vehicles that are so close by. One way would be to simply relocate the park to a place further back on the field. The other design feature that I think would help with the speed of the cars driving down Tookany Creek is to install speed humps. Pedestrians have a hard time crossing the street because either the cars are going too fast and they are nervous to take the chance to cross, or the cars do not stop at the crosswalk because the drivers do not even notice the sign.

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How people interact in this public space

In Tookany Creek there is a lot to do and a lot of places to interact with people for even a brief moment. It depends on what they are doing at the park but most people are there for a while. If they are with kids at the park they are interacting with other parents and their children so it is easy to meet strangers. If they are running alone they will smirk as they run past you. If they are sitting on the bench reading a book they will not even make eye contact. I interacted with one stranger while at the pond with my sons. He asked if we saw the family of deer while we were over there and we didn’t so he pointed them out to us. I think most people want to go to the park for socializing, getting exercise and for peace. The one thing I noticed with every part of the park is the sound of cars and seeing the vehicles drive by so fast.

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A video of the playground and across the street the walking path and the creek.

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This is a video while walking along the path closest to the creek.

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This is the park across the street from the creek. It was a beautiful day so it was getting plenty of use.

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This is a sign next to the field for pedestrian crossing. It was hard to get across the street because there are always cars flying by. Some may pay attention to the signs but most do not.

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This is a video of the pond across from Tookany Creek. It is filled with fish so people use it to go fishing as well. The fountain was not on but it still attracted a nice crowd. There are also people across the parking lot getting free mulch for their gardens.

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This area is taken from the path on Tookany Creek about to cross the crosswalk toward the pond and fountain.

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Here is a picture of the other side of Tacony Creek where the playground and picnic table area are located. It is very close to the street. It is also easier to see how much space is available for bikers.

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This is a picture of someone riding their bike alongside the path of Tookany Creek. The "bike path" is narrow and the cars move pretty fast along that curve. Across the street is the playground and field area.

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The pathway closest to Tookany Creek. It is for pedestrians and animals only, no bikes allowed on the path.

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The first aerial photo is of Tookany Creek with the fountain across the street from the creek. The second is of Tookany Creek where the park and soccer field are located, also across the street from the creek.

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Tookany Creek park

I chose to do my public space study for my Sustainability class on the park area of Tookany Creek in Cheltenham, PA. The first time I drove through this park I was immediately impressed with how clean and green it was. It also had many people around just enjoying the park. The park follows the path of the creek, and the road follows this path as well so it is very windy; not following a straight path. There are many trees all around the park and there is a walking/bike path with rails running along the street side. Throughout Tookany Creek there is a park, a fountain, a grassy area, a place for mulch for residents, several bridges to cross over the creek, a watershed, a soccer field, just to name the main highlights. It is also in the middle of residential homes and close to schools. Because of these highlights there are many types of people that enjoy this area. People of all ages come to walk, run, bike, sit and play.