Whatever Happened to Dubai's Public Spaces?

2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 562-567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khaled Alawadi
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Major Contributor ◽  
Economic Strategy ◽  
Global Branding ◽  
Human Scale ◽  
The Social ◽  
Global World ◽  
The Town

As an ambitious city aspiring to become a major contributor to and player in the global world, Dubai often tends to be endeared to and affected by grand-scale urbanism and skyscraper skylines. The recent practice of architecture in Dubai is replete with examples of architectural monuments and miraculous constructions. Whilst the architectural feats required to raise grand structures for global branding and economic strategy are noteworthy, many other facets of urbanism also warrant adulation and exploration. One example is the narrative of human-scale urbanism—the pedestrian-driven places that put people at the center of the town. Due to its human-scale nature and morphology, the quotidian landscape, more than other existing settings, such as those modeled on “bigness” and dispersion successfully narrates a clear story about the essence of everyday urbanism: the nexus between the physical and the social, and the architecture and everyday life of the city's urban spaces. Life and culture in the UAE have evolved drastically, but in old communities where the quotidian landscape is still palpable, it has stayed the same—simple, open to everyone, and full of animation and affection.

scholarly journals Public Space as Infrastructure of Care

Lateral ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannis Kallianos ◽  
Pafsanias Karathanasis
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Central Places ◽  
Public Square ◽  
The Social ◽  
The City ◽  
Critical Site

Our contribution puts forward an examination of public spaces as infrastructures of care. The eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the “social distancing” measures imposed by several governments around the world, transformed the very use and conceptualization of urban public spaces. In Athens, Greece, public space, which had already been in different ways at the forefront of multifarious crises since 2010, reemerged, once again, as a critical site of sociopolitical antagonism. Public spaces, such as squares, became central places where people could come together to share knowledge and emotions, collectively alleviate anxieties, and thus (re)negotiate their positionality in the city. Such formations and enactments of social connection, affectivity, and antagonism, reflect the entanglement between everyday life and the political, and also draw attention to the association of public space with practices of care for collective well-being during precarious times. During the ever-increasing securitization and policing of urban spaces in Athens, in which everyday life has come to be ever more permeated by precarity and uncertainty, public spaces have been reenacted as safe and more inclusive environments where people can be and act together. Our contribution also employs a video to render more intelligible the affective interconnectedness of sounds, images, bodies, materialities, and practices in public space. By attending to the affective dynamics of a public square in central Athens, we examine the entanglements between the sociopolitical production of public space and forms of care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coffeehouses, Urban Spaces, and the Formation of a Public Sphere in Safavid Isfahan

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farshid Emami
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Capital City ◽  
The Public ◽  
Modern Age ◽  
Visual Evidence ◽  
The Social ◽  
Urban Topography

This essay examines the urban topography, physical structure, and social context of coffeehouses in Safavid Iran (1501–1722), particularly in the capital city of Isfahan. Through a reconstruction of the architecture and urban configuration of coffeehouses, the essay shows how, as an utterly novel institution, the coffeehouse opened up a new sphere of public life, engendered new conceptions of urbanity, and altered the social meaning of urban spaces. The essay will specifically focus on the drinking houses that existed in the Maydan-i Naqsh-i Jahan and Khiyaban-i Chaharbagh, the grand urban spaces of seventeenth-century Isfahan. The remaining physical traces, together with textual and visual evidence, permit us to reconstruct Isfahan’s major coffeehouses. This analysis not only reveals a less-appreciated aspect of urbanity in the age of Shah ʿAbbas (r. 1587–1629) but also elucidates the ways in which the public spaces of Safavid Isfahan contained and shaped novel social practices particular to the early modern age.


scholarly journals Collective occupation in public spaces and the construction of the social fabric

2017 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Kantartzis ◽  
Matthew Molineux
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Social Fabric ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ethnographic Methodology ◽  
The Town ◽  
Multidimensional Process ◽  
Hermeneutic Process

Background. Contemporary research is expanding understandings of occupation beyond that of the individual’s doing, including the shared and social nature of occupation. The concept of collective occupation has been introduced to capture this broader understanding. Purpose. This study aimed to explicate the concept of occupation in a Greek town. Method. Ethnographic methodology was used and primary data were collected through observation, participation, and informal interviews. Analysis involved a hermeneutic process to develop a narrative of occupation in the town, including action, setting, and plots. Findings. Occupation, a dynamic and multidimensional process, served to maintain the self, family, and social fabric and balance between and within them. Collective occupation maintained the social fabric through three forms: informal daily encounters in public spaces, organization and associations, and celebration and commemoration. Implications. Occupational therapists may consider engaging with the potential power of such collective occupation when working toward social change to enable just and inclusive societies.

scholarly journals Under the bridge: autoarchaeoethnographic study of an interstitial space in supermodern Mallorca

Complutum ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-215
Author(s):  
Daniel Albero Santacreu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Interstitial Space ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ethnographic Observation ◽  
Theoretical Foundations

Supermodern cities have certain spaces that escape the regulations exerted by the authorities in our living environment. This is the case of interstitial spaces, abandoned areas that are often marginalized by urban planners. This paper presents the results of an autoarchaeoethnographic study focused on the analysis of a 21st Century interstitial space located on the urban periphery of Palma (Mallorca). The methodology used to record the appropriation strategies and practices developed in this space combined direct ethnographic observation with the analysis of materiality. The study aims to address some of the practices developed in such marginal peripheral urban spaces closely related to the non-places characteristic of our current supermodern world. These practices allow us to understand how these spaces work and are conceptualized and to see how they become active elements of our landscape that are crucial for the social development of certain groups and individuals. Through the study of these practices we verified how certain sectors of society make an appropriation and active use of certain marginal public spaces that must be related to large-scale social, economic and historical phenomena. Finally, taking into consideration some of the theoretical foundations of symmetric archeology, we made an assessment of the way in which the very materiality of these spaces (and other elements with which they are associated with) enhance their use as a social space

scholarly journals Kuća u Splitskom statutu – građenje, održavanje, rušenje

Ars Adriatica ◽  
2015 ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Josip Belamarić
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Primary Sources ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Town

It can be said that the town statute of Split and the stipulations concerning the everyday life in this medieval town are not characterized by the aim to create an ideal city and, in this, they are far from the long-range urban planning contained in the statute of Dubrovnik. The fact that less than five per cent of the stipulations in the statute of Split relate to urban planning ought to be understood as indicating that the town, set in Diocletian’s Palace and determined by its structures, had already been defined to a large extent and that it functioned well and fulfilled the needs of its inhabitants. Thirty chapters of the statute deal with different aspects of the development of medieval Split and its everyday maintenance. This article focuses on the relationship between the local government and private property, that is, with the cases of private spaces being transformed into public spaces and the ‘ritualistic erasures’, that is, the demolition of houses whose owners committed treason and broke the law. This phenomenon of demolition as setting example was not limited to medieval Split but was recorded in other Dalmatian communes (in Omiš and Dubrovnik as late as the eighteenth century) and this discussion of it is based on the examination of a wider set of primary sources.

scholarly journals Mapping Compulsive Buying Behavior of M-commerce Consumers in Pakistan

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 119-134
Author(s):  
MUHAMMAD USHA MALIK ◽  
SHAFEI MOIZ HALI ◽  
MUHAMMAD AIZZAN MALIK
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Compulsive Buying ◽  
Major Contributor ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Buying Behavior ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Impact Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
Technological Platforms

In the last decade, emergence of different technological platforms have drastically influenced and altered societies across the globe. Social commerce or S-commerce which is an off shoot of e-commerce has become part of everyday life among consumers. Mobile commerce also known as m-commerce is a major contributor towards S-commerce. The current research intends to investigate the compulsive buying behavior and conspicuous online consumption frameworks in the context of m-commerce. This study is targets the trends of m commerce within the context of developing country like Pakistan. The current research aims at highlighting how the antecedents involved in the frameworks of compulsive buying behavior and conspicuous online consumption translate into behaviors in the context of m-commerce. The significance of the study can be judged from the fact that, it will help contribute towards to body of knowledge concerning modern social consumptions patterns of the consumers triggered by the m-commerce applications. The research utilizes the lens of the social impact theory with peers and m-commerce, based on the SOR model. The selected population for undertaking the study comprised of consumers who consume different products (i.e. apparel, gadgets, cosmetics and jewelry etc.). This study has diverse theoretical and managerial contribution in the field of consumer behavior. As the results of this study also validated the SOR model and as well as social impact theory in the context of the m-commerce. Secondly, this study taken participation and desire for self-promotion as an organism. And participation was directly inclined by the familiarity and closeness. Keywords: S-commerce, Compulsive Buying Behavior, Conspicuous Online Consumption, Social Impact Theory, SOR Model.

scholarly journals Books in Burgher Households on the Moravian-Silesian Border at the Beginning of the 19th Century

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 121-126
Author(s):  
Lenka Nováková
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Financial Situation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Trade Route ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Town

The relation of subjected municipalities of urban type on the Moravian-Silesian border to books and to education in general can be demonstrated on the example of Místek, situated in the Hukvaldy demesne. The craftsmanship–agricultural character of the town along with its position on a trade route near the Moravian-Silesian border was involved in the shaping of the social environment. Valuable sources of information on burgher households are probate inventories. It is possible to determine from them not only whether burghers owned any books at all and how many, but sometimes even what types of books they were. Among others, likewise the information on book owners, their profession and financial situation is undoubtedly interesting. Although personal motives and the attitudes of Místek burghers towards books usually remain hidden from us, it is still possible to reveal a part of everyday life.

scholarly journals Utilising Urban Gamification for Sustainable Crime Prevention in Public Spaces: A Citizen Participation Model for Designing Against Vandalism

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-38
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mohammed Sayed Mohammed ◽  
Yasuyuki Hirai
Keyword(s):  
Social Environment ◽  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Current Model ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Social ◽  
Illegal Activities ◽  
Depth Interviews

In order to create secured urban spaces, public safety need to be considered as the duty of citizens as well as official authorities. Therefore, this research focuses on the social environment of public spaces and how to encourage citizens to take prompt actions to detect, report and deter any illegal activities. Moreover, graffiti is considered as the most common type of vandalism worldwide that threatens not only our public and private properties, but also our social environment. In order to resolve the problem of graffiti, this research examines current citizen participation model applied by different stakeholders in Fukuoka City in Japan. Current model has been illustrated based on several in-depth interviews conducted with different stakeholders and citizens in Fukuoka City. Then, a new model has been proposed based on urban gamification to encourage more citizens to act as passive observers in public spaces. Proposed model has been evaluated by local communities and city hall to understand its potentials. This research found out that proposed model has the potentials to encourage more citizens to be part of the solution by being more active in public spaces. However, few obstacles regarding budget and administration might stand in the way of achieving such a concept.

scholarly journals Sustaining the Liveliness of Public Spaces in El Houma through Placemaking

2020 ◽  
pp. 129-152
Author(s):  
Mohamed Yazid Khemri ◽  
Alessandro Melis ◽  
Silvio Caputo
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Urban Sociology ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Mapping Techniques ◽  
Social Use

This paper takes Algiers as a case study, highlighting the social use of urban spaces in El Houma, in the Algerian capital, as a form of placemaking, a people-centred approach aimed at improving urban spaces within a neighbourhood. El Houma is a word for neighbourhood in North Africa synonymous with Hara and Mahalla in the Middle East. El Houma is not a typical neighbourhood that only houses people, it is a socio-spatial product formed by social relations between residents of the same neighbourhood. It is, therefore, a way of representing urban space though social practices, creating a strong sense of community, a sense of place and social interaction. Based on theories and mapping techniques from urban sociology and urban design, the research applies a methodology of activity mapping, in order to investigate patterns of outdoor social activities in public spaces and their correlation with the physical design of the neighbourhood. The research will measure the liveliness of public spaces exploring how people adapted their lifestyle to the built environment and vice versa. The findings demonstrate how the different social activities are spatially distributed, and their impact on the liveliness of el Houma.

Life in small urban spaces of “Sanskari Nagari – Vadodara”

2021 ◽  
pp. 70-90
Author(s):  
Abhilash Kolluri ◽  
Garbhit Naik ◽  
Shubham Kaushal
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Western India ◽  
Street Life ◽  
Life Project ◽  
The Public ◽  
City Dynamics ◽  
The Social ◽  
The City

This paper envisages the situation of social life in the city of, “Vadodara – Sanskari Nagari” during and post-pandemic. In the globalization hub of Western-India, the city Vadodara stands true to its name – “Sanskari Nagari”, which still celebrates its rich heritage and culture to its fullest. The social life of people in Vadodara is not only a part of their culture but also part of their routine, which can be perceived from the world’s largest “Garba-gathering”; to every day’s post office hour “Chai-meetup”; to relishing their free time playing “Ludo” by the sides of bridges across the city. With the presence of COVID-19, city people are hesitant about social gatherings and meeting people. Ultimately, life is resuming but at a slow pace and there is an urge to “reimagine” the public spaces and public behaviour so that city doesn’t lose its charm. Referring to the city assessment of William H. Whyte, the mentor of Street Life Project for Public Spaces, Pedestrian behaviour, and City Dynamics, through his book – “Social Life Of Small Urban Spaces,1980” forms the prelude for the research. This paper draws attention to similar spaces for the city of Vadodara as referred to in the book. We see what we do not expect to see, and get acquainted to see crowded spaces. Hence, this paper analyses the selected “Urban-blocks” and “Neighbourhood-spaces” of different typology and their diverse activities. Conclusion focus on the rational segregation and “re-defining” of Urban Spaces based on their safe carrying capacity.

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