CITI-SENSE: methods and tools for empowering citizens to observe acoustic comfort in outdoor public spaces

AbstractThe purpose of this research was to design and deploy tools that apply the concept of citizen observatories and empowering citizens in the assessment of acoustic comfort in public places. The research applies an iterative cycle of design and this article presents the results of a demonstrative experiment carried out in situ using the first products developed. This work was undertaken as part of the CITI-SENSE project. A viable technical and procedural solution was designed and tested in a field demonstration, where 53 people were engaged to provide 137 observations in the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, using environmental sensors connected to a smartphone. The results have been analyzed and discussed in terms of the product’s attractiveness for engaging citizens in the evaluation of acoustic comfort in urban places, the accuracy of the noise levels measured by the acoustic app service integrated into the smartphone, and its ability to obtain simultaneous acoustic and perception data. The results presented in this article are considered a step forward in the research into developing solutions for assessing acoustic comfort. Limitations of the proposed solution are discussed, as are suggestions for further research.

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Progress in the understanding of soundscape: objective variables and objectifiable criteria that predict acoustic comfort in urban places

Noise Mapping ◽

10.1515/noise-2016-0017 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Karmele Herranz-Pascual ◽

Igone García ◽

Itziar Aspuru ◽

Itxasne Díez ◽

Álvaro Santander

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Framework ◽

Urban Environments ◽

Environmental Sensors ◽

Public Places ◽

Environmental Experience ◽

Acoustic Comfort ◽

The City ◽

Urban Places ◽

Information And Technology

AbstractThe overall aim of this research was to find a group of easy-to-access variables, that are measurable or assessable, and which help predict acoustic comfort in urban places, in order to make further progress in developing a soundscape indicator based on indices readily available in urban environments. Our main conceptual framework has been the Environmental Experience Model and the ISO of Soundscape, together with the most up-to-date information and technology, where parameters that influence the soundscape and comfort in urban public places have been identified. This work has been undertaken as part of the CITI-SENSE project. A viable technical and procedural solutionwas designed and tested in a field demonstration, where 53 people were engaged to provide 120 observations in the city ofVitoria-Gasteiz, using environmental sensors connected to a smartphone. The results were analysed and are discussed here with the aim of defining an indicator that permits an easy evaluation of acoustic comfort in urban places. The results presented in this article are considered a step forward in the development of a soundscape indicator based on indices readily available in urban environments. The limitations of the findings are also discussed, as are suggestions for further research.

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Supporting Children’s Independent Activities in Smart and Playable Public Places

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12208352 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (20) ◽

pp. 8352

Author(s):

Chiara Garau ◽

Alfonso Annunziata

Keyword(s):

Urban Design ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Methodological Framework ◽

Public Places ◽

Historic Center ◽

Physical Attributes ◽

Process Of Urbanization ◽

The City

The global process of urbanization, and the modification of social interaction determined by the pandemic crisis, poses the issue of the place of vulnerable users and, in particular, children, within the contemporary city. This research aimed to elaborate a theoretical and methodological framework, based on the concepts of affordance and capability, for analyzing the potential of public spaces to enable and support children’s independent activities. This potential, or meaningful usefulness, is expressed by the Index of Meaningful Usefulness of public Urban Spaces (IUIS). The latter is calculated via the tool ‘Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces’ (OCUS). This methodology is applied to the analysis of significant public spaces within the historic center of the city of Iglesias in Sardinia, Italy. The results reveal adequate usefulness of the selected spaces, while underlining criticalities related to intrinsic spatial and physical attributes. The application to the case study confirms the validity of the theoretical and methodological framework embodied in the OCUS tool for supporting urban design and planning by orienting place-shaping processes towards the acknowledgement of children’s needs.

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Supporting Children’s Independent Activities in Smart and Playable Public Places

10.20944/preprints202009.0087.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Chiara Garau ◽

Alfonso Annunziata

Keyword(s):

Urban Design ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Methodological Framework ◽

Public Places ◽

Historic Center ◽

Physical Attributes ◽

Process Of Urbanization ◽

The City

The global process of urbanization, and the modification of social interaction determined by the pandemic crisis poses the issue of the place of vulnerable users, and in particular children, within the contemporary city. This research aims to elaborate a theoretical and methodological framework, based on the concepts of affordance and capability, for analyzing the potential of public spaces to enable and support children’s independent activities. This potential, or meaningful usefulness, is expressed by the Index of Meaningful Usefulness of public Urban Spaces (IUIS). The latter is calculated via the tool ‘Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces’ (OCUS). This methodology is applied to the analysis of significant public spaces within the historic center of the city of Iglesias in Sardinia, Italy. The results reveal adequate usefulness of the selected spaces, while underlining criticalities related to intrinsic spatial and physical attributes. The application to the case study confirms the validity of the theoretical and methodological framework embodied in the OCUS tool for supporting urban design and planning by orienting place-shaping processes towards the acknowledgement of children’s needs.

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Genopdagelsen af gadens kultur – om Isaac Joseph og den pragmatiske vending i fransk bysociologi

Dansk Sociologi ◽

10.22439/dansoc.v22i1.3473 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 7-25

Author(s):

Martin Severin Frandsen

Keyword(s):

Public Space ◽

Urban Culture ◽

Urban Sociology ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Public Places ◽

Transit Systems ◽

Local Populations ◽

Pragmatic Turn ◽

The City

Denne artikel tager afsæt i den aktuelle sociologiske og offentlige diskussion om offentlige byrum og præsenterer nyere og i dansk sammenhæng stort set ukendte bidrag fra den strømning i fransk sociologi, der betegnes som ”den pragmatiske vending”. Artiklen har to hovedpointer. For det første at den pragmatiske bysociologi kan bidrage til denne diskussion ved at beskrive og fremhæve betydningen af de oftest upåagtede og dagligdags kompetencer, ved hjælp af hvilke byboere skaber sociale overenskomster og fredelig sameksistens på offentlige steder i socialt og kulturelt differentierede byer. For det andet at bysociologien ifølge de pragmatiske sociologer ikke kan standse ved analyser af segregation, ghettodannelser og lokale fællesskabers tilegnelser af territorier. ”At tænke byen” indebærer at bevæge sig videre til også at undersøge de byrumsmæssige design og trafikale forbindelser og passageveje, der skaber sammenhængen i det urbane væv og tillader byboeren at overvinde fremmedheden på et ikke fortroligt territorium. ENGELSK ABSTRACT: Martin Severin Frandsen: Rediscovering Urban Culture and Public Space: On Isaac Joseph and the Pragmatic Turn in French Urban Sociology This article analyses current sociological and public discussions concerning public urban spaces, and introduces new (and in a Danish context largely unknown) contributions from the movement in French sociology that has been labelled ”the pragmatic turn”. The article makes two main arguments. Firstly, the pragmatic urban sociology can contribute to these discussions by highlighting the importance of the often unnoticed and everyday civilities through which city-dwellers create social agreements and peaceful co-existence in public places in socially and culturally heterogeneous cities. Secondly, urban sociology cannot, according to the pragmatic sociologists, stop with inquiries into segregation, ghettos and local populations appropriations of territories. Imagining the city implies moving on to explore the designs of public spaces and public transit systems that create continuity and mobility in urban agglomerations and allow city-dwellers to overcome the strangeness of unfamiliar territories.

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In Vivo In Situ Experimentation Projects by Innovative Cleantech Start-Ups in Paris

Volume 2B: 41st Design Automation Conference ◽

10.1115/detc2015-47631 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Alborz Bekhradi ◽

Bernard Yannou ◽

François Cluzel ◽

Frédérique Chabbert ◽

Romain Farel

Keyword(s):

Business Models ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Innovative Products ◽

Multi Stakeholder ◽

Start Ups ◽

The City ◽

Important Purpose

Cities play an essential role in facilitating and supporting the real-world experimentations (for instance in public spaces with real users) of innovative products and services in the field of clean technologies. In this respect, the City of Paris has implemented an experimentation mechanism to help innovative start-ups improving their solutions and robustifying their business models in a multi-stakeholder eco-system. Nonetheless, a primary investigation demonstrated that the efficiency of these in vivo in situ experimentations have means of being improved. To deal with this issue, the current paper proposes a critical review and a characterization of the existing projects related to clean technology and sustainability themes. A study over 25 experimentation projects results in identifying matches and mismatches between the expectations and the obtained results of tests by innovative start-ups. We have statistically demonstrated that the most important purpose of running experimentation projects by start-ups is to test and build a relevant “stakeholders network” around their businesses. Furthermore, we have assessed the influence of these experimentations on the design of innovative products.

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PUBLIC PLACES IN THE MODERN CITY: DAILY PRACTICES OF THEIR CREATION AND PRESENTATION BY THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITY

International Journal of Innovative Technologies in Social Science ◽

10.31435/rsglobal_ijitss/31012020/6876 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 24-27

Author(s):

Mikhno Nadiya

Keyword(s):

Public Space ◽

Urban Space ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Public Places ◽

Modern City ◽

Space Organization ◽

The City ◽

Ideological Context

The main focus of this article is on defining the specific characteristics of public space organization in a modern Ukrainian city. The study identified the vector of change in the organization of public spaces in recent decades under the influence of changing socio-historical, ideological context and under the influence of globalization processes. It is determined that the main formats of using public spaces in the city today are pragmatic formats of use – the practice of commercialization of urban space, the practice of interaction with strangers, «domestication» of public space, «Europeanization» of public space, desacralization and marking of public space as safe and convenient.

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On the Nature of Public Interiority

Interiority ◽

10.7454/in.v3i1.72 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 61-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Liz Teston

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Built Environment ◽

Real World ◽

Object Oriented ◽

Human Perception ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Art And Design ◽

Object Oriented Ontology ◽

The City ◽

Urban Places

This essay explores the intersection between interiority, urbanism, and the human perception. I view interiority as a condition of the senses rather than an indoor place. Revelations of interiority can be discovered within urban realm, in public spaces, and in intimate interior conditions. I am especially interested in “public interiority” or these cases of interiority that can be found in exterior urban places. Understanding interiority as a perceived condition grounds the built environment in phenomenology, varied human experiences, and everyday conditions. Herein, I begin with an ontology of interiority, which focuses on various ways of perceiving the nature of things – phenomenology, structuralism and object-oriented-ontology (OOO). From there, I will analyze a taxonomy of public interiorities including various strains of form-based, programmatic, atmospheric, and psychological public interiorities. Using real-world examples from my previous research in Bucharest, Romania, New York and [location hidden] as well as well-established examples in art and design, I will then analyze various urban experiences of interiority and the way built conditions shape experience. In this way, I will bring the interior to the city.

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FEATURES OF SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF THE SYSTEM OF PEDESTRIAN ZONES IN THE HISTORICAL CENTER OF KYIV

Architectural Bulletin of KNUCA ◽

10.32347/2519-8661.2021.22-23.53-63 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 53-63

Author(s):

Olena Oliinyk

Keyword(s):

Public Space ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Transport Infrastructure ◽

Public Places ◽

Integrated Network ◽

Historic Center ◽

The Uk ◽

Sanitary Conditions ◽

The City

Abstract. The article substantiates the need to complete the formation of an integrated network of pedestrian spaces in the historic center of Kiev. Now the historic center covers three hills - the Upper Town, Pechersk and Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. However, the problem of creating an integrated network of pedestrian connections in the historic center of Kyiv has not yet been solved, and its formation is one of the urgent tasks today. After all, the creation of a holistic system of pedestrian ways in the historic city makes it possible to increase its tourist potential and ensure the preservation and development of historical and cultural heritage. The author proposes a method of spatial analysis to assess the state of public spaces in the city. The author's comparative analysis of two cities in the UK confirmed the importance and cost-effectiveness of pedestrian public spaces. It is noted that the existing transport infrastructure of the city of Kyiv does not provide for the formation of new pedestrian zones. The author analyzes the central squares of Kyiv: Independence Square, Troitska, Tolstoy, European, Sofiyska, Mykhailivska, Lvivska and Peremohy Squares in terms of comfortable pedestrian movement and the availability of public places. It turned out that in terms of transport accessibility, they are convenient, but not suitable for pedestrians; by use - have mainly administrative, political functions; sometimes - cultural; by category of comfort - are inconvenient, there are no sanitary conditions, places for sitting, rest, greens; these are mainly transport interchanges; by category of social function - meeting places, commercial spaces; there are no signs of identity. Means of forming a network of pedestrian public spaces and proposals for the design of individual fragments of the city are proposed. The author determines how transit space and stationary spaces are used, whether it is possible to use them as a citywide public space and connect it to the main axis along Volodymyrska and Khreschatyk.

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THE IDENTITY IMPORTANCE IN SHAPING SELECTED, NEW URBAN SPACES IN WARSAW, PRAGA – PÓŁNOC

space&FORM ◽

10.21005/pif.2021.47.c-01 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 (47) ◽

pp. 107-122

Author(s):

Ewa Jarecka-Bidzińska ◽

◽

Małgorzata Denis ◽

Keyword(s):

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Public Places ◽

Positive Image ◽

The Face ◽

Identity Importance

The article analyzes how selected important public places in Praga-Północ have developed throughout history and how, in the face of today's economic, functional and spatial conditions as well as socio-cultural needs, create inclusive, resident-friendly urban spaces that build a positive image of the district. The authors will attempt to present proposal for system of interconnected public spaces based on the potential of the place. The model of connections, the proposed system of urban spaces in Praga-Północ is based on many years of researches in situ.

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Post-Socialistic Shopping Malls as New Gathering Places: Case Study Belgrade

Periodica Polytechnica Architecture ◽

10.3311/ppar.11754 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 101-105

Author(s):

Marija Cvetković ◽

Nikola Dinkić ◽

Aleksandra Djukić ◽

Jugoslav Joković

Keyword(s):

Public Space ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Shopping Mall ◽

City Centre ◽

Shopping Malls ◽

Public Places ◽

Software Application ◽

Behavioural Patterns ◽

Shopping Motivation ◽

The City

This paper explores the built environment of a shopping mall and considers the perceptions of its users, measuring the intensity of users both in open public spaces and shopping malls. This paper aims to compare the concentration of users in the selected shopping malls built in New Belgrade and open public spaces in the city centre. It considers the preferences consumers have towards shopping malls and public spaces, by determining their opinion on the (dis)advantages of the shopping malls over features of the city centre. The methodological frameworks of the research are questionnaires, surveys and a method of mapping users on social maps (via social networks). The identity of shopping malls versus public places in Belgrade is observed through technical analyses and qualitative surveys using online and on-site questionnaires, as well as the study of social media (twitter). A structured questionnaire was developed to measure customers’ shopping motivation, preferences, as well as the demographic information of respondents, questions about the identity of the shopping mall and the city centre, and the connection between them. The research also used the newly developed software application - Twitter search engine. The aim was tracking and measuring the intensity of users in the monitored territory, and testing their latest behavioural patterns. Summarizing and interpreting the collected data provided three groups of results: competitiveness of the shopping mall with open public space with the focus on the main qualities; measuring the concentration of users both in shopping malls and open public spaces, and suggestions for improvement of open public spaces.

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