Como Park Pavilion

I contributed this field study of public space as part of the summer 2021 class Urban Public Spaces. Each of us were tasked with spending at least 12 hours across at least six visits in a particular public space in the Twin Cities, and analyze the accessibility and inclusiveness of that space based on who owned and managed the space. Having been absolutely captivated when I visited the park earlier in the year, I chose Como Regional Park, specifically the area near the Como Park Pavilion, as my case study. Over the summer, I spent plenty of time at Como analyzing how park patrons used the park, the most popular times people frequented the area, who was most likely to use the area, and other patterns of use and users I found.

I learned a lot about in-the-field research methods as part of this class - particularly observational research methods. This was also the first class I had taken where our entire class collaborated on a much larger project - in this case, the Field Guide to Public Spaces. I also learned so much about Como and the surrounding neighborhood just by observing and exploring the park. The Como area was an area I was not so familiar with, but participating in urban life at the park brought about a bunch of incredible experiences and my time there was invaluable.