OPEN PUBLIC SPACE ATTRIBUTES AND CATEGORIES – COMPLEXITY AND MEASURABILITY

• Main Authors: Ljiljana Čavić, José Nuno Beirão
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: University of Ljubljana 2014-12-01
• Series: AR: Arhitektura, Raziskave
• Subjects: open public space; spatial attributes; spatial categories; contemporary user; user-based approach
• Online Access: http://www.fa.uni-lj.si/filelib/9_ar/2014-2/ar2014-2-02-cavic.pdf

Within the field of architectural and urban research, this work addresses the complexity of contemporary public space, both in a conceptual and concrete sense. It aims at systematizing spatial attributes and their categories and discussing spatial complexity and measurability, all this in order to reach a more comprehensive understanding, description and analysis of public space. Our aim is to improve everyday usage of open public space and we acknowledged users as its crucial factor. There are numerous investigations on the complex urban and architectural reality of public space that recognise importance of users. However, we did not find any that would holistically account for what users find essential in public space. Based on the incompleteness of existing approaches on open public space and the importance of users for their success, this paper proposes a user-orientated approach. Through an initial survey directed to users, we collected the most important aspects of public spaces in the way that contemporary humans see them. The gathered data is analysed and coded into spatial attributes from which their role in the complexity of open public space and measurability are discussed. The work results in an inventory of attributes that users find salient in public spaces. It does not discuss their qualitative values or contribution in generating spatial realities. It aims to define them clearly so that any further logical argumentation on open space concerning users may be solidly constructed. Finally, through categorisation of attributes it proposes the disciplinary levels necessary for the analysis of complex urban-architectural reality