Facilitating Social Interaction in Public Space

Abstract

Social capital is about the value of social networks, bonding similar people and bridging between diverse people, with norms of reciprocity. Social capital is fundamentally about how people interact with each other[24]. Public Spaces can provide an ideal location for building social capital. We outline our design approach, which involved conducting a user perception study of interaction in private public spaces. Based on the study, a framework of relationship - patterns was developed. We have further identified key components of social interaction installations and common interaction design modalities. The study reported in this paper will be used to develop a design that aims to foster community bonding in a city environment through socialization and play. The possibility of adopting digital technologies in giving a new meaning to public space has been explored.