The image of public space on planned housing based on environmental and behavior cognition mapping (case study: Cemara Asri Estate)

Public space has critical importance for the city and society because it forms a sense of community. The debate on the end of public space, which is ongoing as the privatization in the city rises, moves on to a new phase with the Covid-19 outbreak. Since the perception of public spaces will be a determinant factor in the future of the city, the question arises: How the perception and usage of the public, virtual public and pseudo-public spaces (particularly shopping malls) have been affected by the recent Covid-19 pandemic? The aim of this study is to examine the changing perception and usage of public and pseudo-public spaces during the Covid-19 outbreak in Istanbul, Turkey. Within this scope, an online survey was conducted with 337 participants living in Istanbul between the dates of 1–5 June 2020. With this survey, the change in perceptions and usage of these spaces based on personal, residential and district characteristics were investigated. The findings of the study revealed statistically significant differences between the perceptions and usage of public spaces and pseudo-public spaces before and after the Covid-19 outbreak in terms of personal, residential and district characteristics. According to survey results, there would be a significant decrease in the frequency of possible visits to public places. The outbreak reduces interest in virtual spaces as a leisure activity, but it also increases the interest in virtual spaces as a shopping and meeting/chat platform. In addition, it was determined that the demand for shopping centres and virtual platforms as both before-after-the-outbreak leisure activities decreased significantly as the amount of green space per capita increases. Besides, the diminishing reputations of pseudo-public spaces and the increasing importance of virtual public spaces may be observed from the survey results. The longer the outbreak, the greater its impact on the design and planning of public spaces and pseudo-public spaces. Rather than planning huge and crowded spaces such as big squares and huge malls, there is likely a shift toward planning a large number of small-scale public spaces within walking distance.

Re- imagining public space: the vicissitudes of Japan’s privately owned public spaces

This research investigates the impact of urban furnishing elements in public spaces on children’s behavior within the urban environment. The study is grounded in the premise that the urban environment is not solely composed of built structures but also of the voids and open spaces that give the city vitality and social meaning. Public spaces, as integral components of the urban fabric, represent essential venues for social interaction and community engagement. Since the 1980s, urban theorists such as Jane Jacobs, Jan Gehl, and Geoffrey West have emphasized the need to reconsider the design of public spaces to ensure harmony between spatial organization, social behavior, and the quality of urban life. Children are among the social groups most in need of such spaces and the most affected by their design. The quality, diversity, and arrangement of urban furnishing elements—both natural (vegetation, water features) and man-made (benches, shading devices, lighting, signage, and artistic installations)—play a decisive role in shaping children’s psychological, social, and perceptual development. Conversely, poorly designed or inadequately maintained public spaces can have negative behavioral, cultural, and health impacts on children, diminishing their sense of belonging and connection to their urban surroundings. In the Algerian context, despite the legislative efforts—particularly Article 124 of Municipal Law No. 10-11, which assigns municipalities the responsibility for creating and maintaining public and green spaces—many public areas remain poorly equipped and fail to address the needs of children. The study adopts a statistical methodology based on questionnaires distributed to parents accompanying their children in public spaces during weekends and school holidays. The questionnaire aims to assess parents’ perceptions of public spaces, evaluate the adequacy of urban furnishing elements, and identify their influence on children’s behavior and interaction patterns. The research ultimately seeks to highlight the importance of public spaces as essential extensions of private living environments and to propose design strategies that enhance children’s engagement, comfort, and social development in urban contexts.

What is public about public space: The case of Visakhapatnam, India

Transformations of public spaces in different parts of the city have their own characteristics. The fate of public space in the center and on the periphery may seem to be a predetermined by location. But the changing social environment makes its own adjustments. This paper analyzes the influence of the social environment on the public spaces changing in the peripheral part of Kyiv. Research subject is the contemporary transformation of two green public spaces in Kyiv neighborhoods. The aim of the paper is to determine the peculiarities of green public spaces transformations in the peripheral part of Kyiv influenced by the social environment, to determine the nature of its impact on public spaces changes. Analysis of the transformation of public spaces in the peripheral part of Kyiv confirmed the decisive role of the social environment, which is manifesting through the needs of local residents, and made it possible to identify the main factors of change: local initiatives, web forums, cooperation with business, new construction, changes in the residents’ age and social structure, housing ownership. Based on the analysis of users’ perception of public spaces, their accessibility, use, image and integration it was determined the most problematic aspects of the functioning of Kyiv neighborhoods’ public spaces that require priority changes. All this determines the scientific novelty and relevance of the study of green public spaces on the periphery of the city in the context of the social environment of their evolution.

This chapter deals with the question of how social communication via mobile media informs practices in urban space and creates social relations. As people engage with public space interactively via mobile media, public space itself becomes ‘reactive’. In considering this development within design processes, architects and planners begin to gain basic knowledge on the general role of networked objects. It is convenient to start this by looking at mobile phones, since they play a key role today in dynamically interfacing the personal with the public. An example of such an interface would be, for example, navigation through an urban space that is strongly informed by mappings of mobile data provided by the user. The use of GPS, surveillance cameras and mobile applications has shifted the user’s perception of public space. This chapter explores social practices from different fi elds, though all of them use mobile media to produce and use public spaces as counter-spaces (cf. Knierbein, Chapter 3 this volume), spaces to win back public space for participatory practices. Many of the examples described in this chapter have been developed following the inspiration of the open source movement where users accessing and sharing knowledge in order to develop joint ideas is the core priority. Many of the examples mentioned, therefore, are developed through Open Source software accessible to every user. The term ‘Commons’, as a shared resource with a collective owner, will be introduced in order to talk about any overlaps between participatory tendencies in digital space and urban space. Both foci aim to redistribute means of production and of re-production. The fi rst section of this chapter looks critically at the way users expose data about themselves and their location through mobile media. The question of who collects and uses this data leads to a variety of answers and the clear demand for open and inclusive information infrastructures. A playful exercise will introduce students to a participatory practice that connects digital with urban space by tactically sharing data only on a specifi c site. This section aims to bring in examples of digital practice implemented through mobile media and designed to win back public space. The entire second section of this chapterwill be dedicated to Open Culture, the sum of all products generated and shared through Open Source tools and therefore in the public domain. It describes the potential of using mobile phones in a different way, and how this new form of usage could encourage empowerment and emancipatory practices in public space. Finally, the examples of projects that use Open Source software to create mobile media raise the question of how marginalised areas are affected by the phenomenon of an increase in the spread of mobile media. Do practices of Digital Commons infl uence public space in these areas so that they become more urban? The last part tries to combine principles of Urban and Digital Commons in the search for inclusive concepts of producing public spaces. It suggests exercises for students in architecture and planning that help them to experience for themselves how urban space and mobile media might inform each other. As described by the editors in the introduction, this book engages with relational conceptions of space, understanding space as an outcome of the specifi c mutual relations between people and places, and their contexts. This chapter aspires to contribute to the book’s aim of developing a specifi c relational perspective on public space by opening the term ‘public space’ to all incidents of sharing taking place in a physical or digital public. Each exercise in this chapter is related to one of the described projects encouraging students to think of urban commons (unrestricted access to land) as informed by digital commons and vice versa. We hope hereby to start a debate on how planners and designers can actively enhance the conditions for sharing in a public context via user-centred digital arts and activism.

It has become increasingly vital to promote positive mental wellbeing in cities worldwide as scholars have begun to determine that urban residency is associated with poor mental health, linking urban public space characteristics and usage to mental wellbeing. Participants (Toronto residents aged 18-30 with diagnosed mental illness) used the EthicaData smartphone application to capture in-situ experiential understandings of their everyday experiences in public spaces over two weeks. The research objectives are to 1) understand how public spaces meet (or do not) the specific needs of young Torontonians living with mental illness; and 2) understand how participants’ perceptions of public space as offering connection to nature, promoting physical activity, and facilitating social interaction impacts their mental wellbeing. As a frequently marginalized subpopulation, capturing everyday experiences of individuals living with mental illness in public spaces offers insight into building truly inclusive public spaces for the entire population.

It has become increasingly vital to promote positive mental wellbeing in cities worldwide as scholars have begun to determine that urban residency is associated with poor mental health, linking urban public space characteristics and usage to mental wellbeing. Participants (Toronto residents aged 18-30 with diagnosed mental illness) used the EthicaData smartphone application to capture in-situ experiential understandings of their everyday experiences in public spaces over two weeks. The research objectives are to 1) understand how public spaces meet (or do not) the specific needs of young Torontonians living with mental illness; and 2) understand how participants’ perceptions of public space as offering connection to nature, promoting physical activity, and facilitating social interaction impacts their mental wellbeing. As a frequently marginalized subpopulation, capturing everyday experiences of individuals living with mental illness in public spaces offers insight into building truly inclusive public spaces for the entire population.

Public spaces are considered a vital ingredient of prosperous cities as they support their sense of community, identity and culture. Understanding their relevance, the Mexican government has developed new regulatory frameworks. In 2016, the first federal legislation in Mexico was created and combined the concepts of urban development, public space, and social participation. This change affected national and local regulations. Acknowledging that public spaces are anchored to the institutional and governance context, we based our explorative research from a theoretical perspective on the Contextual Interaction Theory (CIT) and its five governance elements. Considering the regulatory and institutional framework for public spaces in Mexico, this research aims to understand how the different actors perceive the current conditions of public spaces in Mexico City. This research adopted a case study approach, and we conducted eight semi-structured interviews with stakeholders that participate in the planning process of public spaces in Mexico City. Through these interviews and revision of secondary sources, we found that all interviewed actors agree that the regulatory framework of public spaces differs with the application in practice, with legal gaps and lack of clarity in responsibilities which brings confusion among practitioners and developers of public space projects. The implementation of the public spaces policy is affected by the lack of continuity of public space projects and the discrepancies between the efforts to promote inclusive and safe public spaces, and a negative perception of society on the current conditions of public spaces.

The new information and communications technologies are expanding human connectivity, reconfiguring urban spatialities and generating a kind of social space that spans real and virtual, personal and impersonal, private and public. As a result, the space and time boundaries become blurred, giving rise to novel needs for, and practices of, public space usage. However, the ways in which these new practices affect public space engagement and public life in general, remain yet unclear. In addition, variations might exist due to differences in local culture and conditions, or due to specific lifestyles and behaviours favouring isolation and privatism or, at best, interaction only with close friends and kin. The above issues become even more critical for young people, who born in a digital era are able to handle new technologies with utmost ease. This chapter sheds light on the related perceptions and practices of adolescents. Structured interviews were applied to eight teenagers living in Hannover (Germany), Lisbon (Portugal), Tel Aviv (Israel) and Volos (Greece) to gather focused, qualitative and textual data. It examines how young people of distinct sociocultural contexts perceive and use both public spaces and digital technologies. This enables to identify emergent logics, needs and patterns of socialization and public space engagement placing specific emphasis on the role information technologies can play in them.

Public space has become an essential component of resilient urban development. Despite the growing recognition of this reality, public space and its functionality amid socio-natural disasters are usually not considered in risk planning and management. The child population, certainly among the most vulnerable, is equally invisible amid mitigation measures and post-catastrophe reconstruction. Thus, this article seeks to advance the understanding of children's perceptions of public space, focusing on the role it could play in resilient urban development. To this end, a comparative approach was used, based on three public spaces located in the hills of the city of Valparaíso, a territory characterised by its vulnerability to urban fires and earthquakes. Using creative, art-based methods to engage children in participatory workshops reveals differences between the three case studies related to public space design processes and institutional actions.

The paper discusses the importance of public green space on the formation of participant urban identity during the process of urbanization. In this context, the discussion focuses on the way people perceive the urban parks as public spaces and the contribution of these spaces on urban development and citizenship. After a brief look at the history of urban green space and political perspectives on the current status of Turkish urban parks, I base my discussion on the gendered green spaces. My aim is to identify that urban park should not be perceived as the places of exclusion in democratic societies like Turkey. Keywords: Urban park, green space, public space, urbanization, Ankara

As cities are rapidly developing new interventions against climate change, embedding renewable energy in public spaces is an important strategy. However, most interventions primarily include environmental sustainability while neglecting the social and economic interrelationships of electricity production. Although there is a growing interest in sustainability within environmental design and landscape architecture, public spaces are still awaiting viable energy-conscious design and assessment interventions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate this issue in a renowned public space—Ballast Point Park in Sydney—using a triple bottom line (TBL) case study approach. The emerging factors and relationships of each component of TBL, within the context of public open space, are identified and discussed. With specific focus on renewable energy distribution in and around Ballast Point Park, the paper concludes with a general design framework, which conceptualizes an optimal distribution of on-site electricity produced from renewable sources embedded in public open spaces.

The role of bike sharing stations in the perception of public spaces: A stated preferences analysis

This study introduces a concise questionnaire designed to evaluate the quality of urban public spaces as a simplified method for collecting community needs and perspectives, enabling these insights to be effectively combined with metrics and viewpoints from policymakers and decision-makers. The case study was carried out in one of the smallest municipalities of Attica, in the town of Kaisariani, Athens, with an emphasis on the central square and the park of the area. Findings show that the majority of respondents prioritize improving the vegetation and lighting of Kaisariani Square, as well as demands for more benches and cultural/art elements. The most important negative experience was the feeling of neglect and lack of cleanliness. Concerns about lighting and lack of care/cleanliness were also key at the park. Addressing current gaps in the public space assessment literature, the study lays the groundwork for future research and supports the creation of easy-to-use quality assessment tools. In contrast to more analytical approaches, the proposed questionnaire tool provides a streamlined and efficient method for capturing users’ perceptions of public spaces. Its design ensures that evaluations are not time-consuming or resource-intensive, allowing citizen feedback to be seamlessly integrated into various public space management processes rather than being limited to exhaustive and costly research efforts. As urban environments continue to expand, the adoption of such techniques will be essential for fostering sustainable and resilient communities that prioritize the well-being of their citizens.