Temporary Appropriation of Public Spaces: The Influence of Outdoor Comfort

Abstract

The term appropriation in general definition, is known as a temporary phenomenon that implies a dynamic process (human activities) of interaction between the individual and its surroundings (built environment). The term in generally used to illuminate the connection between people and public spaces in social science; however, the footprint of environmental studies is underestimated. This is not because our thermal sense of a place is inconsequential or superfluous, but simply because our scientific understanding of human thermal perception in the outdoor context is not yet at the stage where it can be purposively engineered and managed. This chapter intends to focus on the Temporary Appropriation (TA) happening in public spaces to give the citizens the right to fully use and manage their everyday life within the urban environment. This approach highlights the necessity of adapting human comfort to the needs of a city to compensate sudden and unexpected changes due to urban microclimate. In the context of the enormous urbanization phenomena occurring all over the world, the relevance of this issue increasingly gains importance. There is still an open question, if the daily public life or use of urban spaces can be acknowledged as appropriation or not. If yes, is this temporary or permanent? The concept of appropriation is closely tied to the sense of identity and comfort as well, besides temporal factors. This chapter will conclude supporting the idea that the temporary appropriation takes place in urban public spaces in which individuals or group of people feels culturally and environmentally identified.