Public places are at the heart of the civic life of towns and cities, allowing spaces for people meet, see and be seen. In theory they open to everyone, but even cursory observation shows that some people dominate public spaces more than others.
'Social Interactions in Urban Public Places' involved a large team of local residents, workers and students as co-researchers with the team of academic researchers to allow a year-long observation of social interactions in one English town - Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. Observations were made on each day of the week and at all times of day in different kinds of public places:
In particular the study looked at how older people and younger people find or fail to find space in the public areas of town.
The academic researchers included Dr Andrew Clark (now at Leeds University), Dr Caroline Holland, Dr Jeanne Katz, Professor Sheila Peace. The research was funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Findings (pdf)
Full report (pdf 2mb)