Conviviality by design: the socio-spatial qualities of spaces of intercultural urban encounters
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Conviviality by design: the socio‑spatial qualities of spaces of intercultural urban encounters Farnaz Ganji1 · Clare Rishbeth1
© Springer Nature Limited 2020
Abstract This paper presents findings from a mixed-method research project which explored use of outdoor spaces and social connections in Bradford, a post-industrial city in the north of England with a highly ethnically diverse population. Data was collected through micro-scale behavioural mapping of public spaces (analysed using GIS) and both on-site and in-depth interviews. The integration of these methods allows a focus on intersectional identities and social values for everyday conviviality situated in different typologies of public open spaces (parks, squares, streets) in city centre and suburban neighbourhoods. The analysis offers nuanced insights into the socio-spatial aspects of conviviality: patterns of activity by diverse users, situations in which encounters are prompted, and the implications of negotiating differences in relation to perceptions of self, others, and the environment. We discuss the relevance of the urban public realm for shared understandings of diversity, qualities of visibility, lingering and playfulness, and the importance of threshold spaces. We explore racialised and excluding experiences and how these relate to mobility and territorial patterns of use, specifically with relation to gender. The paper highlights connections between intercultural encounters and urban design practice, with implications for well-being and integration in ethnically diverse urban areas. Keywords Public open space · Migrants · Ethnicity · Gender · Mapping
Introduction Many of the pleasures and challenges of living in cities are the nearness of difference. It is in the public realm—pavements, squares, and parks—that the everyday qualities of life in ethnically diverse contexts are made visible and audible. Migration is experienced in the present, and sometimes marked as gradual changes from a more (but never totally) homogeneous past. Politically, the impact of migration on cities and urban society is recognised as a cultural, democratic, and economic good by most, while also recognising some of the tensions that can arise at both local and national scales. This paper contributes to a special edition questioning how intercultural experiences, perceptions and values shape the field of urban design, what information is needed * Clare Rishbeth [email protected] Farnaz Ganji [email protected] 1
Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield, Floor 13, The Arts Tower, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
and what action should to be taken. This issue is specifically concerned with social inclusion, and within this broad area, we employ a theoretical lens of intercultural conviviality, which allows a focus on mundane, and mostly un-pre-meditated ways in which people encounter and respond to each other in urban environments characterised by population diversity (Wise and Noble 2016). In this paper, we present findings
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