Top 14 Quotes & Sayings by William H. Whyte

Explore popular quotes and sayings by an American journalist William H. Whyte.

Last updated on December 21, 2024.

William Hollingsworth "Holly" Whyte, Jr. was an American urbanist, sociologist, organizational analyst, journalist and people-watcher. He identified the elements that create vibrant public spaces within the city and filmed a variety of urban plazas in New York City in the 1970s. After his book about corporate culture The Organization Man (1956) sold over two million copies, Whyte turned his attention to the study of human behavior in urban settings. He published several books on the topic, including The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1980).

American - Journalist | October 1, 1917 - January 12, 1999

Source: Wikipedia

The human backside is a dimension architects seem to have forgotten.

William H. Whyte

If you want to seed a place with activity, the first thing to do is to put out food.

William H. Whyte

Trees are contagious; as soon as one neighborhood or street is planted, citizen pressure builds up for action from the next street.

William H. Whyte

The street is the river of life of the city, the place where we come together, the pathway to the center.

William H. Whyte

The onlooker had better wipe the sympathy off his face. What he has seen is a revolution, not the home of little cogs and drones. What he has seen is the dormitory of the next managerial class.

William H. Whyte

People do not always argue because they misunderstand one another, they argue because they hold different goals.

William H. Whyte

So-called 'undesirables' are not the problem. It is the measures taken to combat them that is the problem.

William H. Whyte

People very rarely think in groups; they talk together, they exchange information, they adjudicate, they make compromises. But they do not think; they do not create.

William H. Whyte

Nonconformity is an empty goal, and rebellion against prevailing opinion merely because it is prevailing should no more be praised than acquiescence to it. Indeed, it is often a mask for cowardice, and few are more pathetic than those who flaunt outer differences to expiate their inner surrender.

William H. Whyte

It is difficult to design a space that will not attract people. What is remarkable is how often this has been accomplished.

William H. Whyte

People tend to sit where there are places to sit

William H. Whyte

What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.

William H. Whyte

It’s not right to put water before people and then keep them away from it.

William H. Whyte

We have been the most prodigal of people with land, and for years we wasted it with impunity. There was so much of it, and no matter how we fouled it, there was always more over the next hill, or so it seemed.

William H. Whyte

Top 14 Quotes & Sayings by William H. Whyte

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