Assessment of Urban Public Spaces within Shopping Malls: Youth Perspective in the City of Colombo

Abstract

Cities are the engines of economic growth. With urbanization, the pressure on urban lands for production and consumption based land use is increasing. In this context, most cities endeavor to keep public spaces for people interaction especially in the form of open public space; and in this setting, urban dwellers tend to use alternative public spaces such as leisure parks, malls and arcades. This study seeks to identify the role of urban public spaces (UPS) in shopping malls in the city scale by comparing the use of five (5) internal and external factors - namely physical features, social activities, accessibility, land use mix, and also memories and experiences. The key user group considered was youth between the age group of 18 to 30 years and questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews were conducted in a span of 08 weeks. Analysis of the primary data was conducted through SPSS statistical software and narrative inquiry assessment was conducted to validate the survey outcomes. The findings revealed that internal features including physical and social factors were the most significant aspects for the youth to sense shopping malls as urban public spaces (UPS). Also the youth has been influenced by the surrounding leisure & recreation facilities to gain a sense of the shopping malls. Urban public spaces in shopping malls could be identified as a better alternative space for public parks and playgrounds from the youth perspective. This research revealed that size and activity mix within public spaces in shopping malls have played a significant role in the long term sustainability of functional efficiency.