SMSlingshot a shared encounter in urban space

Interaction design is increasingly situated beyond the desktop and demands new approaches, if it is made for Urban Space. Public and semi-public spaces add new challenges in terms of interaction theory, technology and sociology. SMSlingshot is an interactive unban installation (also named a Shared Encounter) and research vehicle that helps to explore these new challenges

‘Fourth places’: the Contemporary Public Settings for Informal Social Interaction among Strangers.

This paper introduces ‘fourth places’ as an additional category of informal social settings alongside ‘third places’ (Oldenburg 1989). Through extensive empirical fieldwork on where and how social interaction among strangers occurs in the public and semi-public spaces of a contemporary masterplanned neighbourhood, this paper reveals that ‘fourth places’ are closely related to ‘third places’ in terms of social and behavioural characteristics, involving a radical departure from the routines of home and work, inclusivity, and social comfort. However, the activities, users, locations and spatial conditions that support them are very different. They are characterized by ‘in-betweenness’ in terms of spaces, activities, time and management, as well as a great sense of publicness. This paper will demonstrate that the latter conditions are effective in breaking the ‘placelessness’ and ‘fortress’ designs of newly designed urban public spaces and that, by doing so, they make ‘fourth places’ sociologically more open in order to bring strangers together. The recognition of these findings problematizes well-established urban design theories and redefines several spatial concepts for designing public space. Ultimately, the findings also bring optimism to urban design practice, offering new insights into how to design more lively and inclusive public spaces. Keywords: ‘Fourth places’, Informal Public Social Settings, Social Interaction, Strangers, Public Space Design

Enter the Circle: Blending Spherical Displays and Playful Embedded Interaction in Public Spaces

Public displays are used a variety of contexts, from utility driven information displays to playful entertainment displays. Spherical displays offer new opportunities for interaction in public spaces, allowing users to face each other during interaction and explore content from a variety of angles and perspectives. This paper presents a playful installation that places a spherical display at the centre of a playful environment embedded with interactive elements. The installation, called Enter the Circle, involves eight chair-sized boxes filled with interactive lights that can be controlled by touching the spherical display. The boxes are placed in a ring around the display, and passers-by must “enter the circle” to explore and play with the installation. We evaluated this installation in a pedestrianized walkway for three hours over an evening, collecting on-screen logs and video data. This paper presents a novel evaluation of a spherical display in a public space, discusses an experimental design concept that blends displays with embedded interaction, and analyses real world interaction with the installation

Linking place attachment and social interaction: towards meaningful public places

Purpose A public space is a place of significance when it fulfils the human need for social interaction and attachment. However, the scarcity of public spaces poses a challenge to support socialisation for people within a defined social and cultural group. The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between place attachment and social interaction within public spaces in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Design/methodology/approach Face-to-face interviews with urban users were conducted to examine the users’ engagement in three main public spaces in the city and the significance of these spaces to everyday social interaction. Field observations were carried out to examine patterns of users’ activities and interactions. Findings The authors uncover a lack of multi-functional spaces to support diverse forms of interactions in the city. A street has an important function to generate activities. However, spaces for people to sit and stay remain scarce, and are in most cases consumed by extended commercial use and thus considered private. Opportunities for social interaction are very limited. The significance of the places relates strongly to commercial and tourism functions, and hence place attachment evolves around those activities. Participants associated their familiarity and engagement with interaction between familiar people, close ethnic relationships and business acquaintances. Practical implications The authors argue that more robust and socially responsive public spaces should be reclaimed for the culturally diverse users. Social implications Development of attachment through meaningful spaces for people to stay and interact could enhance the role of public spaces in the city. Originality/value By understanding the social meanings of places, particularly in a multi-cultural setting, a stronger basis for designing and managing urban places towards resiliency and social sustainability can be provided

Assessment of Digital Co-Creation for Public Open Spaces: Methodological Guidelines

The accessibility and quality of public open spaces (e.g., parks, gardens, squares and plazas) are critical for cultural identity development as they provide important gathering points in the urban fabric and o er a place for social activities, enabling interaction among people of di erent generations and ethnicities. Public open spaces enhance the urban environment by providing important ecological processes and ecosystem services. The current research generates knowledge about co-creation approach to be used to merge the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) with these essential functions of the public spaces. It explores new dynamics of open spaces as a trusted service for the community and expands our understanding of how meditated public open spaces function, paying attention to stakeholders, local context and di erent social groups. The paper presents the design of Digital Co-Creation Index and methodological guidelines for applying Digital Co-creation monitoring technique for evaluation of co-creation processes in designing attractive, inclusive and responsive public open spaces

Environmental psychology: the relationship between public open space and human behaviour

A research report submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Urban Design to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2018Public open space plays a critical role in our societies, as it is the stage upon which life is unfolded, an intricate system of interaction, conflicts, agreements and interchanges that reflect a society’s culture (Carr, 1992). Environmental psychology looks to improve the quality of the life experienced in the built environment. Through the identification of human responses to the built environment, strategic design tools can be developed to design public open spaces that are a support aid to users and their daily activities (Stokols, 1978). The vision of urbanism has the ability to produce a powerful impact and influence on the development of a city, however, the motive behind the design of public open space does not always reflect the needs of the people (Ding & Guaralda, 2013). This has resulted in the design of public open spaces that are detached from the users, failed spaces that don’t contribute to unifying socio-spatial relations in the context of Johannesburg (Dudley, 2010). This report investigates the relationship between human behaviour and the response that the utilisation of certain design strategies can stimulate in improving the quality of the life experienced in public open spaces. The investigation is conducted with the aim of answering the research question: How can urban design play a transformative role in the socio-spatial relations of public open space in the Johannesburg context, as to improve people’s perceptions and experiences in public spaces? This report is twofold as it seeks to understand how the relationship between public open space and human behaviour is shaped. Thus followed by developing a understanding of how urban design can play a contributing role in shaping the quality of life experienced in physical space, as to contribute to improving people’s orientation, experience and interaction in public open spaces. Three main concepts are discussed as to develop an understanding of public open spaces and how they influence and shape the quality of life that people can experience. The meaning of public open spaces and what it is, is deconstructed, as to understand the contributing factors that shape and create this space for individuals. Culture, identity and place are identified as critical concepts that contribute to creating public open spaces, as this contribution can be seen as a nonverbal expression of human feelings. These two concepts, public open space, and culture and identify, are culminated in the third concepts of environmental psychology. Environmental psychology addresses the issue of placelessness and loss of public life, and how to better understand the role that urban elements play in the relationship between people and public open space (Gehl & Svarre, 2013). The objective to bring about an improvement in socio-spatial relations and the wellbeing of people is achieved through designing environments that are human focused. These are spaces of good quality that function well for the user. These three concepts were used to inform what design tools can be used to achieve quality public open spaces. Design principles were then extracted from the data collected above. These design principles were used as the evaluation criteria in the analysis of the project site. The analysis of the site was done through direct observation methods, as to study and map out the physical elements of space that contribute to creating quality public life. The case study area starts at Beyers Naude Square, through to the Legislaturefoyer, and ends at the Ernest Oppenheimer Park. The analysis of the project site revealed that the site spatially lacks the competence to be a well-functioning quality public space. This revealed that the site does not positively contribute to creating improved socio-spatial relations, thus not contributing to improving people’s orientation, experience and interaction in this public open space. The next chapter sought to address the spatial elements that have created a poor space, through design recommendations. These recommendations are informed by the design principles used in the analysis of the site. Various spatial interventions have been proposed to improve the quality of public life that individuals experience, interact with and orientate themselves in public space. In conclusion, I have come to the finding that the application of the right urban design tools plays a critical role in transforming public open spaces in Johannesburg, as to create pedestrian focused and orientated environments that positively influence and impact their psychological responses to the built environment. Thus, urban design is a field of study that should engage beyond the physical realm of public open spaces in Johannesburg, but also the psychological dimensions of spaces and the effects that design tools can have on an individual, as to create spaces that people positively respond to through their perceptions and experiences.MT201

Influence of Perceived Environmental Quality on the Perceived Restorativeness of Public Spaces

Parks and town squares can play an important role by offering spaces for cognitive restorativeness in urban contexts. Therefore, it is important that these spaces be designed in a way that encourages restorativeness. Indeed, their perceived quality should motivate users to stay and take advantage of them. Yet, it is not clear whether perceptions as to the quality of these spaces is relevant in promoting restorativeness. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze whether elements of environmental quality perceived by users of public spaces favor restorativeness both in parks and squares. Environmental and social aspects are taken into consideration, since restorative experiences involve cognitive and physiological recovery, as well as a component of interaction with the environment. In this research, 519 users of 32 urban public spaces-town squares and parks-on the island of Tenerife (Spain) participated. Participants evaluated these spaces using four dimensions that focused on spaces' perceived environmental quality: design of spaces, care of spaces, social interaction, and presence of sensorial elements. Additionally, we evaluated the perceived restorativeness of each space. The results showed that the design of spaces, care of the spaces, social interaction, and presence of sensorial elements explain the variance in perceived restorativeness, although with different weights for parks and squares. We found that perceived quality of a space is a key predictor of its restorativeness. This means that maintaining parks and town squares is a relevant task given that they contribute to reducing cognitive overload, increasing sustainability, and facilitating health care in urban settings

Infection-free landscape: adaptable urban open space design during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the public perception, usage, and behaviors of urban open spaces. During the past three years, spatial measures to reduce the transmission of infection such as quarantine and social distancing have resulted in people’s isolation and reduction of daily physical interaction with others. Urban open spaces, including streets, squares, and parks, are outdoor urban spaces open for public access and recreation. From Frederick Law Olmsted’s design of New York’s Central Park to Daniel Burnham’s 1909 Plan of Chicago, the United States has a long history of planning and designing the urban environment for better public health in cities. Under these circumstances, urban open spaces are generally considered to have a significant positive effect on public health and human well-being, especially in high-density urban built environments. This thesis explores the ways to optimize urban open spaces in response to the challenge of public health and create a healthier city with greater resilience. Based in New York City, this thesis studies the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban open spaces on different scales and types. By studying the new public demand for urban open spaces and the corresponding spatial features, this thesis aims to develop a design guideline for urban open spaces to provide a safe and comfortable experience to city residents for both the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic period

Mediated city: Annual review 2012

The research projects under Mediated City explore questions that traverse through various disciplines to create new knowledge. Here, design catalyses changes in people’s practices to cross boundary domains, such as art, business, geospatial science, interaction design and creative writing. Common themes under Mediated City are:• Activating public engagement in social, environmental and political issues• Creating spaces for dialogue and diversity• Altering our perception and relationship of place• Making histories accessible and meaningful in today’s world.This report documents the 2012 research activities for Mediated City including symposia, conferences, workshops, exhibitions, prototypes, and scholarly outputs including books, book chapters, conference papers, presentations, and journal articles.&nbsp

Urban Design and Stormwater Management: An Integrated Approach to Public Hardscape Design

Among the hierarchy of motivations, Maslow identifies the social as one of the levels that generates drive in individuals (Maslow, 1970). The urban environment is a place that has great opportunity for social interaction with design and planning of public spaces. Public spaces serve an important function in society and the design of these spaces can attract or repel a population. As specific elements are incorporated in public space and especially public hardscape design, designers should not neglect the issue of sustainability. According to the Brundtland Commission, sustainability includes the \u27policies and strategies that meet society\u27s present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs\u27 (World Commission of Environment and Development, 1987). Implementation of public spaces can provide for the current and future population\u27s need for social interaction. In planning and designing these spaces the protection of natural resources must be considered for posterity. The urban built environment has had enormous impacts on the natural world. Multiple cities across the United States operate with a combined sewer and wastewater system. Use of this type of combined system creates the risk of overflow of polluted stormwater and untreated sewage into local rivers and streams during heavier rains (Paul & Meyer, 2001). Pollution alone due to runoff can be detrimental to the ecosystems that depend on local water bodies, but the additional risk of combined sewer systems and the dangers that can result in larger storms presents the question of what steps can be done to reconcile the urban environment with the preexisting natural world? Designers must consider factors such as stormwater runoff when creating buildings, streets and public spaces. Through water quality policies, enacted by the EPA, regulations have been written and implemented to reduce the pollution that is discharged into local water bodies. Stormwater management practices have been developed to not only reduce runoff, but treat the water as well. However, there is more than can be done with public spaces and their design to recreate natural hydrological conditions while creating an attractive and vibrant place. The impacts of impervious surfaces and stormwater have eye-opening consequences. According to the King County, Washington stormwater services, stormwater impacts include contamination of local water bodies, killing fish and harming wildlife, flooding, and potential groundwater shortages due to impervious surface (King County, 2010). Technology has improved and impervious surface materials have become porous pavements. This literature review will attempt to identify the state of the art in respect to public hardscape design, building materials and stormwater management practices. It is the goal of this research to discover how a new, more sustainable public hardscape can become the standard for design through the integration of stormwater management practices, effective use of permeable materials and thoughtful design