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

Abstract

What constructs are used to characterize public space? This paper analyzes residents’ perceptions of public space, using data from Visakhapatnam (usually referred to as “Vizag”), India—a city of 1.3 million people on the Bay of Bengal. Extensive interviews, 37 in number, were conducted, using composite group sampling. The sample was drawn from all socioeconomic levels of employees, managers, and associates, at a large industrial plant. The interview schedules contained open-ended questions eliciting residents’ perceptions of public space, and their demographics. Qualitative analyses and quantitative tabulations were carried out. Conceptualizing sense of place in terms of the distinguishing features of the urban environment, a comparison was made between the perception of public space in Vizag and in Western developed countries. The research indicates that lower socioeconomic status people have as complex a conception of public space as do those of high socioeconomic status, provided that the interview schedule is designed to elicit these data. Residents differentiated areas by socioeconomic status, and by land use, i.e., industrial, commercial, and residential. Preeminent concerns—with pollution, crowding, health, and religion—represent much of what is psychologically salient about public space in Vizag. These findings are in contrast with the salient characteristics of public space in Western cities, as found by prior research. We believe that these findings have policy implications for urban planners and leaders.