Discussed are limits and constraints associated with the design of small urban parks located in such a way as to optimize use. Factors affecting design strategies and solutions are listed, and four major design strategies are examined. Specifically, strategies involve space, time, innovative designs, and municipal laws and by-laws. (RH)

A look at research from the Institute of Advanced Architectural Studies, York, United Kingdom, on the design of spaces for learning. (HB)

Arguing that document design had its origins in the 1930s but that much of its development in theory, research, and practice has occurred in the 1980s, this paper provides a snapshot of the evolution of document design. The paper defines "document design" as the theory, research, and practice of creating comprehensible and persuasive…

A hearing was held to review problems posed by realistic toy guns and consider a bill to require manufacturers of toy firearms to distinctively mark the toy firearms as toys and a bill to ban realistic toy guns from commerce. A consumer advocate compared real and toy versions of several guns to demonstrate the difficulty of distinguishing one from…

This paper suggests that artists be involved in the international and governmental decision making, planning, and regulating activities associated with new communication systems and communication technologies. Eight projects sponsored by Experiments in Art and Technology illustrate artists' interest in, and ability to contribute to, a variety of…

Specifications for making adaptable dwelling units, minimally accessible designs which can later be inexpensively remodeled for the disabled, are presented. Advantages to providing many adaptable units rather than a few accessible ones are outlined, including eliminating the marketing problem, providing a disabled person with a wider choice of…

Speaking on the operating policies and procedures of computer data bases containing information on students, the author divides his remarks into three parts: content decisions, data base security, and user access. He offers nine recommended practices that should increase the data base's usefulness to the user community: (1) the cost of developing…

Parent participation in the construction of a playground is related here. Four criteria were considered in the process: exercise, social interaction, safety and durability, and availability of materials and labor. (DS)

The authors stress the role of the multidisciplinary team in vocational rehabilitation, particularly the industrial engineer, in performing job analysis and workplace design to accommodate disabled persons in industry. Steps to effective job adaptation are charted, and methods of job analysis are discussed. (Author/MC)

Three factors are considered: the amount of seclusion provided by carrels; the possibility for social interaction afforded by carrel design; territoriality and dominance behavior in respect to shared space. (JY)

This four-part manual assists child care providers working in day care centers, Head Start Centers, or nursery schools to design the physical space of both indoor and outdoor settings for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and younger school-aged children. Part 1 stresses the importance of the physical environment in the child care setting. Part 2…

State leaders and school officials must understand that the intermediate and long-term implications of the energy crisis for education are much different from the current or short-term problems. Acting on that basis, they may be able to turn some of the potential difficulties into real benefits. (Author)

Over 4,800 pupils will be injured inside school buses this year. Safer buses have to be worked into the budget -- and some schools are doing it. (Author)

A consulting engineer's lighting designer, brought into a project at its conceptual stage, could influence the architectural design in such a way so as to incorporate a lighting system that is both aesthetically pleasing and economical. To do this, he must speak the architect's language. (Author)

Provides photographs and text on innovative designs for playgrounds. (JF)