Urban Encounters: Climate Art and the Public

For half a century, continuous political and economic challenges in Khartoum, Sudan have perpetuated social inequity in the urban environment across generations. Poor-quality informal public open spaces compensate for the absence of accessible developed public spaces for the urban poor. Although there is a high supply and distribution of public open spaces within low-income neighbourhoods, yet, they are hardly noticed as a development opportunity for enhancing an aspect of life quality. Thus, this paper attempts to utilise the above-mentioned possibility by asking the question of how can public open spaces in low-income neighbourhoods be utilised? Aiming to identify suitable strategies of improvement. Through an exploratory investigation with an inductive component on public open spaces in developing countries, with Khartoum State in Sudan as a focal point, the methods are based on observations, desk research, literature review, and analysis of case studies. Furthermore, by highlighting the importance of public open spaces to individuals and local communities in the literature review, this study generates an Integrated Tri-pillar Framework (ITF) that is based on society, built environment, and economy to define overlapping contextual placemaking approaches and strategies for improving neighbourhood public open spaces in developing countries like Sudan. The framework links theory to practise, and is mobilised through analysing and interpreting analogous case studies on the success of public open spaces in African cities that share similarities in context with Khartoum, Sudan. The analysis hints at the possibility of empowering groups to take control in shaping their surrounding environment could lead to a greater sense of ownership and responsibility towards public spaces, potentially contributing to the creation of more active inclusive spaces. Finally, this study attempts to add to the limited academic work on this topic in Sudan, and concludes with holistic recommendations for upgrading public open spaces at the neighbourhood level.

Based on the systematic review of existing literature, this paper theoretically demonstrates the relationship between brand experience and brand love, and proposes corresponding hypotheses. Consumers with consumption experience of themed brands were selected as research samples. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the effects of sensory, emotional and social experience on brand love, as well as the moderating effect of self-fragmentation on the relationship between surreal experience and brand love. The results show that: The sensory experience, emotional experience and social experience in the surreal experience all have a significant positive impact on brand love. Self-fragmentation plays a positive role in regulating the relationship between social experience and brand love. Self-fragmentation has no significant moderating effect on the relationship between brand love and sensory experience and emotional experience.

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the impact of sensory, emotional, and social experiences on the repurchase intention of consumers using Skintific skincare products in Bandar Lampung, particularly within the context of Islamic ethical business practices.Methodology/Approach: A quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing non-probability sampling techniques. The study involved 104 respondents who had previously used the Skintific products. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and Partial Least Squares (PLS) to assess the relationships between the variables.Results/Findings: The results indicate that all dimensions of customer experience sensory, emotional, and social have a positive and significant influence on consumers repurchase intentions. This underscores the critical role of customer experience in fostering brand loyalty.Conclusions: Sensory experience, emotional experience, and social experience significantly influence the repurchase intention of skincare consumers in Bandar Lampung, especially when combined with Islamic economic principles that emphasize ethics, fairness, and customer welfare. By implementing these values-based marketing strategies, skincare brands can increase customer loyalty and satisfaction sustainably.Limitations: The study acknowledges certain limitations, including the focus on a specific product and location, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the research highlights the need for further exploration of how Islamic ethical principles can be integrated into marketing strategies to enhance customer experiences.Contributions: This study contributes to understanding how sensory, emotional, and social experiences influence consumers repurchase intention of skincare products in Bandar Lampung. In addition, this study highlights the role of Islamic economic principles in forming ethical and loyalty-oriented marketing strategies.

It could be argued that architecture has an inherent social responsibility to enrich the urban and spatial environments for the city’s occupants. However, how we define quality, and how ‘places’ can be designed to be fair and equitable, catering for individuals on a humanistic and psychological level, is often not clearly addressed. Lefebvre discusses the idea of the ‘right to the city’; the belief that public space design should facilitate freedom of expression and incite a sense of spatial ownership for its occupants in public/commercial precincts. Lefebvre also points out the importance of sensory experience in the urban environment. “Street-scape theatrics” are performative activities that summarise these two concepts, advocating the ‘right to the city’ by way of art as well as providing sensual engagement for city users. Literature discusses the importance of Street-scape Theatrics however few sources attempt to discuss this topic in terms of how to design these spaces/places to enhance the city on both a sensory and political level. This research, grounded in political theory, investigates the case of street music, in particular busking, in the city of Brisbane, Australia. Street culture is a notion that already exists in Brisbane, but it is heavily controlled especially in central locations. This study discusses how sensory experience of the urban environment in Brisbane can be enriched through the design for busking; multiple case studies, interviews, observations and thematic mappings provide data to gather an understanding of how street performers see and understand the built form. Results are sometime surprisingly incongruous with general assumptions in regards to street artist as well as the established political and ideological framework, supporting the idea that the best and most effective way of urban hacking is working within the system. Ultimately, it was found that the Central Business District in Brisbane, Australia, could adopt certain political and design tactics which attempt to reconcile systematic quality control with freedom of expression into the public/commercial sphere, realism upheld. This can bridge the gap between the micro scale of the body and the macro of the political economy through freedom of expression, thus celebrating the idiosyncratic nature of the city.

Geographical studies on interpersonal contact in urban settings are usually focused on segregation or social mixing, and thus limited, to a long-term perspective on contact. A comprehensive analysis of urban life, though, calls for the additional integration of short-term and situational aspects in urban encounters. So called geographies of encounter, developed by British cultural geographies, seek to close this research gap by scrutinizing the fugitive qualities of encounters in the city. This altered approach is based on the premise that the interplay between bodily performances and the urban environment - what we have called ‘situational place’ elsewhere - represents a constituting element of urbanity. The empirical research discussed in this paper comprises videographic data of encounters between strangers in public spaces in Berlin. In three different urban settings interactions between strangers are analysed and new theoretical insights are derived from these video sequences of situational encounters. The authors suggest an extension of existing theoretical vocabulary for analysing urban encounters in order to more comprehensively reflect the interrelation between urban space and interaction.

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.

Yarn bombing involves the display of knitted or crocheted items in public space, often without permission. This article draws on interviews with yarn bombers in the North West of England and considers who the yarn bombers are, their motivations and experiences and their views on the legal status of yarn bombing. Although the visual is important for yarn bombing—and it is therefore of interest to visual criminology—this article also looks further to consider other sensory experience. In this way, it contributes to an emerging aesthetic criminology concerned with broader sensory, affective and emotive experience. Drawing on Thrift’s work on urban affect or mood, as well as Anderson and Young on affective atmospheres, yarn bombing is regarded as a crime of the senses affecting both the look and the feel of the city. The scope for further development of an aesthetic criminology is suggested, including specific methodologies that embrace the full range of sensory experiences associated with crime, disorder or social harm.

Vertical greenery (VG) is greenery where plants can be grown on, up, or against internal or external walls of buildings or as freestanding structures. Whereas, public art (PA) is a structure or form that contains an artistic expression. It is placed in public spaces. VG has gained tremendous popularity in recent years, and this offers an opportunity to integrate it as a part of public art in cities. A place with a combination of art and aesthetics with environmental principles would become a new urban art that will help extend VG’s survivability and human security in the future. Most research in VG focuses on an environmental and technical aspect that consider its benefits, technical issues, feasibility, acoustic impact, sustainability, system and maintenance. On the other hand, creative methods to approach VG are seldom researched upon especially in Malaysia. Hence, this study explores this possibility from the public’s perspectives. The objectives were to identify public’s familiarity and values of VG as PA, and VG attributes to be as a PA. An online survey was used to obtain public’s perspectives on the integration of VG as PA. The target respondents were the public, whereby the link to the survey was sent out to 400 potentialrespondents. The survey obtained 117 responses, and they were gathered automatically in an Excel spreadsheet. The data were converted into the themes to generate results. Findings yield positive outcomes in terms of the public’s familiarity of the terminologies (i.e. VG and PA), people’s awareness of VG in an urban environment, and the possibilities and potentials of VG to become a PA in Malaysian cities. It means that VG has extended beyond the environmental benefits to also become an art form for people in a city.

Vertical greenery (VG) is greenery where plants can be grown on, up, or against internal or external walls of buildings or as freestanding structures. Whereas, public art (PA) is a structure or form that contains an artistic expression. It is placed in public spaces. VG has gained tremendous popularity in recent years, and this offers an opportunity to integrate it as a part of public art in cities. A place with a combination of art and aesthetics with environmental principles would become a new urban art that will help extend VG’s survivability and human security in the future. Most research in VG focuses on an environmental and technical aspect that consider its benefits, technical issues, feasibility, acoustic impact, sustainability, system and maintenance. On the other hand, creative methods to approach VG are seldom researched upon especially in Malaysia. Hence, this study explores this possibility from the public’s perspectives. The objectives were to identify public’s familiarity and values of VG as PA, and VG attributes to be as a PA. An online survey was used to obtain public’s perspectives on the integration of VG as PA. The target respondents were the public, whereby the link to the survey was sent out to 400 potentialrespondents. The survey obtained 117 responses, and they were gathered automatically in an Excel spreadsheet. The data were converted into the themes to generate results. Findings yield positive outcomes in terms of the public’s familiarity of the terminologies (i.e. VG and PA), people’s awareness of VG in an urban environment, and the possibilities and potentials of VG to become a PA in Malaysian cities. It means that VG has extended beyond the environmental benefits to also become an art form for people in a city.

Vertical greenery (VG) is greenery where plants can be grown on, up, or against internal or external walls of buildings or as freestanding structures. Whereas, public art (PA) is a structure or form that contains an artistic expression. It is placed in public spaces. VG has gained tremendous popularity in recent years, and this offers an opportunity to integrate it as a part of public art in cities. A place with a combination of art and aesthetics with environmental principles would become a new urban art that will help extend VG’s survivability and human security in the future. Most research in VG focuses on an environmental and technical aspect that consider its benefits, technical issues, feasibility, acoustic impact, sustainability, system and maintenance. On the other hand, creative methods to approach VG are seldom researched upon especially in Malaysia. Hence, this study explores this possibility from the public’s perspectives. The objectives were to identify public’s familiarity and values of VG as PA, and VG attributes to be as a PA. An online survey was used to obtain public’s perspectives on the integration of VG as PA. The target respondents were the public, whereby the link to the survey was sent out to 400 potential respondents. The survey obtained 117 responses, and they were gathered automatically in an Excel spreadsheet. The data were converted into the themes to generate results. Findings yield positive outcomes in terms of the public’s familiarity of the terminologies (i.e. VG and PA), people’s awareness of VG in an urban environment, and the possibilities and potentials of VG to become a PA in Malaysian cities. It means that VG has extended beyond the environmental benefits to also become an art form for people in a city.

In modern world, the problems of formation of the quality urban environment are brought to the forefront in megalopolises, small cities, and urban localities. In the conditions of rapid urbanization and expanding urban population, the public spaces are becoming an important element of the city planning system, foundation for the formation of urban environment, reflection of the level of cultural and social life. The design of comfortable public urban spaces consists not only in the functional and technical nuances, which determine the components of this environment, but also in conceptual designation of the space. The tasks of comprehensive approach in creation and modernization of the new and existing public spaces gain priority. The article is dedicated to theoretical analysis of the problematic, patterns and relevant trends in formation and modernization of public urban spaces on the example of Russian and foreign experience. The analysis of this question allows formulating the key principles and conditions for formation and development of the efficient system of urban public spaces. The object of this article is the environment of public urban spaces under various urban planning conditions. The subject of this article is the peculiarities and trends in the formation of urban public spaces. The goal consists in determination of the factors, conditions, functions, specificity, and patterns that impact the formation of the environment of urban public spaces.

Deli Indah Estate is located on Jl. Deli Indah II, Medan was built in 1976. In this housing complex, there are many commercial functions such as schools, markets, and others. This housing is close to various public facilities, making it easier for residents to carry out their activities. There is an interesting thing in this Deli Indah Estate, the housing is integrated with the commercial function (public space), which is the market. The purpose of this study was to find out the characteristics of visitors, activities carried out by users of public spaces and finding elements forming public spaces that are applied to public housing spaces (markets). In process of collecting data, researchers conducted observations and distributing questionnaires to visitors. The variables that will be used in this study are the characteristics of visitors, types of activities in open public spaces and elements that form good public spaces. After collecting all data, this data will be analyzed using descriptive analysis method. From the results of data analysis, researchers will describe the characteristics of users of public space, user’s activities in public housing spaces, and elements that form a public space that is applied to public housing spaces (markets).

The spatial organization of post-socialist cities in Ukraine requires the creation of an adequate, comfortable urban environment in the conditions of crisis phenomena caused by problems of an economic, ecological, social and military nature. The problem of reforming cities requires a review of the "functionalism" paradigm and a new systemic consideration at three interconnected territorial levels: macro, meso, micro. The article describes the change in the paradigm of functionalism of spatial planning in post-Soviet countries, considers new methodologies of urban development of cities, proposes a new approach to the study of open public spaces, namely, as an element of the system of the urban planning environment. This approach reflects the important role of public spaces in shaping the urban fabric. Particular attention is paid to the integration processes of sustainable development of cities, which reveal a new meaning of human coexistence in the surrounding environment. In the context of a new look at open public space, the text describes the assumption "space creates the environment", which allows us to consider urban planning in a completely new dimension. The latest developments in scientific research on the typology of public spaces are separately considered. The article singles out physically accessible and physically inaccessible categories of public spaces. The article assumes that the city, as a cluster structure, is the sum of independent environments (elementary systems), which consist of public spaces united by certain characteristics. The issue of the micro-territorial level is considered, where the priority is the spatial organization of the city's public spaces on the basis of an urban cluster. An important feature is the pedestrian accessibility to various service functions of the urban environment. Based on the assumption, new approaches to the study of open public spaces at different urban planning levels are proposed, taking into account the human-oriented principles of the formation of a sustainable urban environment.

This paper investigates the meanings of urban public space, both as a didactic platform and as a way to spread awareness of climate change through art. What are the roles of public space? How do artworks intervene in urban public space? How can public art contribute to “sustainability” issues? I have argued that the intervention of art in urban public space offers effective ways of developing climate change art, which is understood to be an educator. Public space can be categorized into three different types: everyday, social, and symbolic spaces. These can be used as a platform for opening discussion and learning about the increased issues of the global crisis in contemporary society. I have drawn upon the representative case studies about climate change to explore how they intervene in urban public space and how they engage viewers to spread awareness, which is one of the fundamental aspects of this paper. It also stimulates viewers’ perceptions and awareness of a more sustainable future through phenomenological and emotional experiences. Thus, this paper contributes to the understanding and knowledge of the relationship between art and public space with respect to raising awareness about climate change and considering how art intervenes in urban public space to create an eco-didactic platform.

Painting the Town Blue and Green: Curating Street Art through Urban Mobile Gaming