Difference between revisions of "Sociospatial perspective"

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[[Category:Social]]
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The sociospatial perspective assumes that “social space operates as both a product and a producer of changes in the metropolitan environment” <reference>INSERT(Gottdiener/Hutchinson 2011: 394; see also 20. In theoretical terms, this would be a “structuralist” approach following Flanagan’s (2010) classification.): “Once spatial patterns are altered in one region of the metropolis, this change affects all other parts not just of the metropolis, but also of other cities in the regional as well as national and even international hierarchy of urban regions.” <reference>INSERT(Ibid.) In the sociospatial perspective, built environment is intrinsically meaningful, it has its particular “semiotics” <reference>INSERT(Gottdiener/Hutchinson 2011: 394.) that tell about policy, culture, society, economy, etc., and also about security. For example, design features of urban infrastructure influence citizens’ perception of the risk that this infrastructure is at or that it is assumed to mitigate or prevent, as well as the general [[http://securipedia.eu/mediawiki/index.php/Infrastructure|perception of the criticality]] of that infrastructure.
 
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[[File:ae.png|25px|right|This is a page providing background in a specific field of expertise]]
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Although urbanization studies strongly argue that differences between actual and perceived security are not influenced by the design of built environment but that they mainly are mass media constructs, they also assume that “the perception of insecurity in cities depends largely upon the substantial amount and constant flow of information that urban residents receive from many sources” <reference>INSERT(UN-HABITAT 2007: XX. ), and this can be assumed to include the semiotics of built environment.
 
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The '''socio-spatial perspective''' in urbanism research addresses how ''built infrastructure'' and ''society'' interact. It assumes that social space operates as both a product and a producer of changes in the metropolitan environment.<ref>Gottdiener M., Hutchison R.: The New Urban Sociology. 4th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview/Gottdiener/Hutchinson, 2011, 394; see also 20.</ref>
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Many examples of community-enhancing constructions represent an “elitism of architectural choice” <reference>INSERT(Gottdiener/Hutchinson 2011: 331.) that may in the end increase societal gaps and perceptions of fear, as well as actual insecurity. [[Cultural_criminology|Cultural criminology]] supports this argument from the point of view of a critique of the approach of “designing-out” (crime and terrorism) through environmental design <reference>INSERT(E.g. Geason/Wilson 1989.), as for example in the case of commercial malls based on architectures “to separate out different ‘types’ of people” and related risks <reference>INSERT(Garland 2001: 162.).
  
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In the socio-spatial perspective, built environment is intrinsically meaningful: It has its particular “semiotics” that tell about policy, culture, society, economy, etc., and about security as well.
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==Interaction of urban structures and society==
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On the bottom line, urban structure has an impact on social processes, and this needs to be addressed in strategic [[urban planning]].<ref>Hannigan J.: Fantasy City: Pleasure and Profit in the Post-modern Metropolis. London: Routledge, 1998. </ref> The school of “[[New urbanism|New Urbanism]]” has referred to this as the “socio-spatial perspective”. This means that urban space and society interact.
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==Security aspects==
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* Design features of urban [http://www.focusproject.eu/web/focus/wiki/-/wiki/ESG/Infrastructure infrastructure] influence citizens’ [[Perception of (in)security|perception]] of the [[risk]], that this infrastructure is at, as well as the general [[Critical_infrastructure#Criticality_of_infastructure|perception of criticality]] of that infrastructure.
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* Critics: Urbanisation studies strongly argue that differences between actual and perceived security are not influenced by the design of built environment, but that they mainly are mass media constructs. The perception of (in)security in cities rather depends [...] ''upon the substantial amount and constant flow of information that urban residents receive from many sources''.<ref>United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT): Enhancing urban safety and security. London: Earthscan, 2007, 19. Retrieved from: http://books.google.at/books?id=SmsbwAtSfE0C&pg=PA205&dq=legal+aspects+in+urban+planning+security&hl=de&ei=m-WzTu-tLMbQ4QST4vjQAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=legal%20aspects%20in%20urban%20planning%20security&f=false. </ref>
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* Many examples of community-enhancing constructions represent an “''elitism of architectural choice''”<ref>Gottdiener M./Hutchison R: The New Urban Sociology. 4th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview/Gottdiener/Hutchinson, 2011, 331.</ref> that may in the end increase societal gaps and perceptions of fear, as well as actual insecurity.
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==Approaches how to address sociospatial security aspects==
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* Consider interactions of society with urban space;
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* Consider social needs;
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* Involve citizens in planning projects ([[citizen participation]]);
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* Integrate society into urban planning and into urbanity;
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* Integrate approaches and findings from social sciences and humanities.
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==Related subjects==
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*[[Cultural criminology]]
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*[[Environmental design]]
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*[[Environmental psychology]]
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*[[New urbanism|New Urbanism]]
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*[[Designing out]]
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*[[Designing in]]
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*[[Resilience]], societal resilience;
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*[[Perception of (in)security]] and of the criticality of infrastructure.
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{{references}}

Latest revision as of 15:45, 11 June 2013

This is a page providing background in a specific field of expertise

The socio-spatial perspective in urbanism research addresses how built infrastructure and society interact. It assumes that social space operates as both a product and a producer of changes in the metropolitan environment.[1]

In the socio-spatial perspective, built environment is intrinsically meaningful: It has its particular “semiotics” that tell about policy, culture, society, economy, etc., and about security as well.

Interaction of urban structures and society

On the bottom line, urban structure has an impact on social processes, and this needs to be addressed in strategic urban planning.[2] The school of “New Urbanism” has referred to this as the “socio-spatial perspective”. This means that urban space and society interact.

Security aspects

  • Design features of urban infrastructure influence citizens’ perception of the risk, that this infrastructure is at, as well as the general perception of criticality of that infrastructure.
  • Critics: Urbanisation studies strongly argue that differences between actual and perceived security are not influenced by the design of built environment, but that they mainly are mass media constructs. The perception of (in)security in cities rather depends [...] upon the substantial amount and constant flow of information that urban residents receive from many sources.[3]
  • Many examples of community-enhancing constructions represent an “elitism of architectural choice”[4] that may in the end increase societal gaps and perceptions of fear, as well as actual insecurity.

Approaches how to address sociospatial security aspects

  • Consider interactions of society with urban space;
  • Consider social needs;
  • Involve citizens in planning projects (citizen participation);
  • Integrate society into urban planning and into urbanity;
  • Integrate approaches and findings from social sciences and humanities.

Related subjects

Footnotes and references

  1. ↑ Gottdiener M., Hutchison R.: The New Urban Sociology. 4th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview/Gottdiener/Hutchinson, 2011, 394; see also 20.
  2. ↑ Hannigan J.: Fantasy City: Pleasure and Profit in the Post-modern Metropolis. London: Routledge, 1998.
  3. ↑ United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT): Enhancing urban safety and security. London: Earthscan, 2007, 19. Retrieved from: http://books.google.at/books?id=SmsbwAtSfE0C&pg=PA205&dq=legal+aspects+in+urban+planning+security&hl=de&ei=m-WzTu-tLMbQ4QST4vjQAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=legal%20aspects%20in%20urban%20planning%20security&f=false.
  4. ↑ Gottdiener M./Hutchison R: The New Urban Sociology. 4th ed. Boulder, CO: Westview/Gottdiener/Hutchinson, 2011, 331.
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