Diversity in Public Space

In the upcoming semester, students of Architecture and Spatial Planning will once again be sent on field trips to engage with public space. Drawing on the semester theme “Diversity and Public Space”, they will investigate it in multiple ways, test interventions, and consult both experts and passersby.

Public space is a fundamental element of democratic societies and, ideally, should be freely accessible and socially diverse. It serves as a site for encounters and exchange, mobility and consumption, opinion formation and expression of interests, as well as for balance and recreation. However, power and authority structures also influence the creation, use, and appropriation of public space, regulating accessibility and exclusion. At the same time, opportunities for unplanned, subversive forms of appropriation can be observed.

In order to enable equal participation and appropriation in public space for different groups, it is necessary to understand the diverse user groups and their varying daily lives, interests, and needs. Diversity-sensitive design of public space requires planners to develop an awareness of these different perspectives. The combination of social-scientific and planning tools can help to identify and map diverse usage interests.

For this year’s field trips, we have chosen a specific urban constellation that currently tests urban coexistence in many European cities: the meeting of new and old. In many growing cities, new construction takes place within established neighborhoods or at their edges. This is often accompanied by changes in the socio-economic structure of the entire district. Not only do new public (and privatized) spaces emerge, but already existing areas are also newly used and appropriated. These changes frequently lead to conflicts of use, and in the worst cases, processes of displacement. With the arrival of new residents, the district’s infrastructure slowly changes, mainly because the newcomers often have a more favorable socio-economic position than the long-term residents.

At the start of the course, students engage in a theoretical and critical examination of the topic “Diversity and Public Space,” before embarking on expeditions to various sites. The results of these exploratory and research trips are documented and analyzed.

Methods
The course focuses on the scientific preparation, execution, documentation, and evaluation of expeditions (understood as exploratory or research trips). After the initial theoretical and critical engagement with “Diversity and Public Space,” students go on the expedition to explore a variety of characteristic physical and social spaces.

Phase 1: Preparation (March–April)
Each expedition begins with careful preparation by the teams: they define precise objectives, research questions, and theses, set a clear organizational framework, and determine the methods for collecting, processing, and analyzing information. This work is developed both during supervision sessions and through independent preparation and research, and is formalized in an expedition proposal. The proposal expresses the students’ specific research interest and curiosity, and also serves as a request for funding needed to carry out the planned expedition. Based on the chosen destination and thematic focus, students outline the research questions, methods, spaces to be studied, key contacts, required equipment, and team organization.

Phase 2: Expedition (May)
In May 2022, teams independently explore their designated areas—observing, conducting interviews, recording, and documenting. They keep a parallel expedition diary to track their journey.

Phase 3: Analysis (June)
After the expedition, students analyze and reflect on their observations, archival material, field notes, and interviews. The collected information is organized, re-associated, and linked to the research question and previously studied theory. The findings are synthesized and elaborated in detail. The results are compiled in essayistic form in a publication. Additionally, the expedition is documented and broadcast as a radio feature on A Palaver – Architektur im Radio.

Kick-off: March 2, 2022
Format: Hybrid (Zoom / in-person)

This course is aimed at Master’s students in Architecture and Spatial Planning. Architecture students can have the course counted as a module (10 ECTS) plus free electives (2 ECTS).

The research expeditions are funded through the future.lab with support from the City of Vienna and awarded as stipends. The course is conducted in cooperation with the architecture radio A Palaver.

Supervision: Nina Schuster (future.lab visiting professor), Madlyn Miessgang, Sabina Riß, Claudia Schaefers, Rudolf Scheuvens
Experts: Ginge Zabrana, Erich Streichberger, and Nils Peters (City of Vienna), David Passek (A Palaver, architecture radio)