Brace Commons has various services and resources surrounding its center, including a staffed snack bar, printer, study room, laundry room, television room, full kitchen, piano, and vending machine. In order to maximize interaction in Brace Commons, the planners have strategically positioned many resources around its center.
Jane Jacobs notes in her famed urban planning guide The Death and Life of Great American Cities that the casual, public interactions between different people in a community are often “associated with errands.” In having each of these services in the semi-concentrated area of Brace Commons, the designers allow for these interactions to occur, which according to Jacobs will ultimately lead to the formation of a “public identity of people and a web of public respect and trust.” While many of these exchanges between East Wheelock residents will be limited to a quick hello or a nod of recognition, they are still meaningful and according to Jacobs, contribute greatly to this formation of a shared identity. However, some community members may very well strike up a conversation that will be brought to the center of the commons, where there is plenty of room to converse.
**Non-credited photos on page via Andrew Davidson (10/27/2016)
