connecting with others has various enablers and obstacles , since the main themes of these newsletters is place , , I will try to show how thought connecting or disconnecting with place could seriously enhance or hinder our openness towards others , to my understanding Place is socially constructed notion , we s human beings produce it through our interaction with physical spatial reality and our constant struggle to make sense of it , different types of places exist , and with each type we attach different attitudes and behaviours , in home we tend to be more relaxed , open , follow the gift economy logic , and we readily and comfortably connect with others , in places we don't count as home we tend to be reserved , follow the exchange economy logic , and more reluctant to enter into meaningful relationships with others , between these tow poles all places could classified , the more we see a specific place as home , the more our attitude in it resembles our attitude in home and vice versa residents in our present time loose the intimacy and connection with places they inhabited , we see them increasingly rely upon online map apps to navigate the cities , to plan their pubic transportation trips , and indeed rarely they can memorize even the street names ; no much effort has been put to get a long with places , to be fair policy makers and urban planers have their fair share of responsibility ; cities become more and more very complex creatures , without navigation app we will not be able to know even the location of road exits , their top down approach that excuse the dwellers from taking part in planning their places and spaces , their concerns only about efficiency ( defined in narrowly commercial terms ) generate designs and plans that not user-friendly I member in my childhood the neighbourhood -we live in - was simple walkable , I mean by walkable in this context that not only all locations are close but also the smoothness , comfort , and safety to navigate ; asphaltic roads lie at the perimeter , there is no need to use a footbridge or a pedestrian crossing , in place like this one could readily to count as an extension to home and start to consider other residents as brothers and sisters , urbanisation works by an opposite logic , I am not sure whether it could be reversed , after all city is a place where compared to other place one needs others more to survive , but ironically he has very limited relationship with them .
The newsletter focuses on connecting to both people and places, with some posts leaning more towards one or the other. Having said that, I do appreciate you added a more place-centric perspective here to enrich the conversation.
I find the idea of place as a socially constructed notion interesting. Do you have any readings you would recommend I look into about that?
I also wonder whether "walkability" can in some ways be socially constructed up to a limit. For example, I was surprised to hear some people tell me how they found parts of Dubai walkable when I would never describe them as walkable myself. They seemed to define walkability as the extent to which they themselves can make a place walkable and adapt as opposed to whether or not it was comfortably designed to be a walkable space. Rana AlMutawa whose book I featured in a past post would likely describe such residents as "adaptive agents." At the same time, I also recognize that if I were to one day need a walking cane or a wheelchair, I may have more limitations as to how I can adapt a space to be accessible to me when it was not designed for different physical abilities.
I am further curious about your thoughts on the notion of "third places" and "right to the city" as I am new to those concepts and wondering if you are more familiar with them?
one of the notable places that represent the notion of the third place in my opinion , are Cafes in my hometown Posrtsudan -the main seaport of Sudan - I member when I was young that people at night sitting in that old wooden benches talking , chatting , exchange news of each other , engage in political and cultural debates and socialize in general , I could recalled how readily and swiftly one can makes acquittance of new people compared to other places where the sense of connection and belonging is absent , I believe in some sense it is an extension to home ,in home one already knows all his brothers and sisters , no strong motivation to discover and learn , whereas there there are strangers and new faces yet to be explored , the safety and security when feels at home largely retained , with an element of curiosity and discovery being added , that dialectic gives it its unique identity , now it is socially constructed in the sense that it is not only regular shop, there are societal forces at play , if we only focus only on Economic factors , or formal urban planning , I think we will miss significant dimension of this spatial phenomenon , in Khartoum -Capital of Sudan- where I used to work the word Café signifies just tea&cofee shop with slightly negative condonations in fact .
I would say ( Cultural Studies Theory and practise ) by Chris Parker is worth reading , thought it is a book cultural Studies in general , chapter 12 ( titled cultural and urban place ) contain fascinating and easy to digest analysis about place and culture
I have often had mixed thought about the idea of a cafe being seen as a third place, but when you add a social construction element to it, it makes more sense to me especially when you compare the way cafes are socially constructed in port Sudan as opposed to Khartoum.
I can think of certain cafes that I experienced more as a third space as opposed to others where it was just a transactional space for me to buy and consume coffee/tea/pastries and perhaps schedule meetings with friends, family, professional contacts but no friendly or spontaneous encounters with strangers and no sense that I can utilize the space without needing to spend money. It has me think of what makes it possible for one cafe to be more easily socially constructed as a third space as opposed to another where it is exclusively a consumerist space and nothing more than that. In the examples I can think of one or more of the following that made it easier for me to see such cafes as third spaces:
1) friendly staff who are easy to engage in conversation (I recognize this can be subjective experience). Even better when they happen to know some of the customers and are willing to introduce me to them. This is even easier when the owner is already connected to some form of community outside the cafe, like in one example the cafe was next to a church and the owner was a frequent church-goer and so were most of the staff and customers
2) times when the cafe hosts community events that organically lend themselves to people talking to each other
3) shared tables that sometimes, not always, lend themselves to easier conversation than separated tables
4) having certain customers who frequent the space at similar days and times so it is easier to run into them more than once and who in turn indirectly shape the culture of the cafe
5) a larger culture that does not reinforce the idea of "stranger danger"
in addition to those factors I believe some societal settings , which is largely beyond individual control ( may be even consciousness ) that determine our perception to a certain place , and the mode of socially accepted practise when we inhabit it
with regard to Cafes , in some countries Egypt and French for Example Cafes had been utilized as Cultural and artistic Forums and discussion platforms , I once came across a remark by the Germane sociologist and philosopher Jorgen Habermas about the role of coffeehouses in classic-era Europe as catalyst for spreading Democracy back then
connecting with others has various enablers and obstacles , since the main themes of these newsletters is place , , I will try to show how thought connecting or disconnecting with place could seriously enhance or hinder our openness towards others , to my understanding Place is socially constructed notion , we s human beings produce it through our interaction with physical spatial reality and our constant struggle to make sense of it , different types of places exist , and with each type we attach different attitudes and behaviours , in home we tend to be more relaxed , open , follow the gift economy logic , and we readily and comfortably connect with others , in places we don't count as home we tend to be reserved , follow the exchange economy logic , and more reluctant to enter into meaningful relationships with others , between these tow poles all places could classified , the more we see a specific place as home , the more our attitude in it resembles our attitude in home and vice versa residents in our present time loose the intimacy and connection with places they inhabited , we see them increasingly rely upon online map apps to navigate the cities , to plan their pubic transportation trips , and indeed rarely they can memorize even the street names ; no much effort has been put to get a long with places , to be fair policy makers and urban planers have their fair share of responsibility ; cities become more and more very complex creatures , without navigation app we will not be able to know even the location of road exits , their top down approach that excuse the dwellers from taking part in planning their places and spaces , their concerns only about efficiency ( defined in narrowly commercial terms ) generate designs and plans that not user-friendly I member in my childhood the neighbourhood -we live in - was simple walkable , I mean by walkable in this context that not only all locations are close but also the smoothness , comfort , and safety to navigate ; asphaltic roads lie at the perimeter , there is no need to use a footbridge or a pedestrian crossing , in place like this one could readily to count as an extension to home and start to consider other residents as brothers and sisters , urbanisation works by an opposite logic , I am not sure whether it could be reversed , after all city is a place where compared to other place one needs others more to survive , but ironically he has very limited relationship with them .
The newsletter focuses on connecting to both people and places, with some posts leaning more towards one or the other. Having said that, I do appreciate you added a more place-centric perspective here to enrich the conversation.
I find the idea of place as a socially constructed notion interesting. Do you have any readings you would recommend I look into about that?
I also wonder whether "walkability" can in some ways be socially constructed up to a limit. For example, I was surprised to hear some people tell me how they found parts of Dubai walkable when I would never describe them as walkable myself. They seemed to define walkability as the extent to which they themselves can make a place walkable and adapt as opposed to whether or not it was comfortably designed to be a walkable space. Rana AlMutawa whose book I featured in a past post would likely describe such residents as "adaptive agents." At the same time, I also recognize that if I were to one day need a walking cane or a wheelchair, I may have more limitations as to how I can adapt a space to be accessible to me when it was not designed for different physical abilities.
I am further curious about your thoughts on the notion of "third places" and "right to the city" as I am new to those concepts and wondering if you are more familiar with them?
one of the notable places that represent the notion of the third place in my opinion , are Cafes in my hometown Posrtsudan -the main seaport of Sudan - I member when I was young that people at night sitting in that old wooden benches talking , chatting , exchange news of each other , engage in political and cultural debates and socialize in general , I could recalled how readily and swiftly one can makes acquittance of new people compared to other places where the sense of connection and belonging is absent , I believe in some sense it is an extension to home ,in home one already knows all his brothers and sisters , no strong motivation to discover and learn , whereas there there are strangers and new faces yet to be explored , the safety and security when feels at home largely retained , with an element of curiosity and discovery being added , that dialectic gives it its unique identity , now it is socially constructed in the sense that it is not only regular shop, there are societal forces at play , if we only focus only on Economic factors , or formal urban planning , I think we will miss significant dimension of this spatial phenomenon , in Khartoum -Capital of Sudan- where I used to work the word Café signifies just tea&cofee shop with slightly negative condonations in fact .
I would say ( Cultural Studies Theory and practise ) by Chris Parker is worth reading , thought it is a book cultural Studies in general , chapter 12 ( titled cultural and urban place ) contain fascinating and easy to digest analysis about place and culture
thanks for the recommendation, will be adding this to my ever growing reading list!
I have often had mixed thought about the idea of a cafe being seen as a third place, but when you add a social construction element to it, it makes more sense to me especially when you compare the way cafes are socially constructed in port Sudan as opposed to Khartoum.
I can think of certain cafes that I experienced more as a third space as opposed to others where it was just a transactional space for me to buy and consume coffee/tea/pastries and perhaps schedule meetings with friends, family, professional contacts but no friendly or spontaneous encounters with strangers and no sense that I can utilize the space without needing to spend money. It has me think of what makes it possible for one cafe to be more easily socially constructed as a third space as opposed to another where it is exclusively a consumerist space and nothing more than that. In the examples I can think of one or more of the following that made it easier for me to see such cafes as third spaces:
1) friendly staff who are easy to engage in conversation (I recognize this can be subjective experience). Even better when they happen to know some of the customers and are willing to introduce me to them. This is even easier when the owner is already connected to some form of community outside the cafe, like in one example the cafe was next to a church and the owner was a frequent church-goer and so were most of the staff and customers
2) times when the cafe hosts community events that organically lend themselves to people talking to each other
3) shared tables that sometimes, not always, lend themselves to easier conversation than separated tables
4) having certain customers who frequent the space at similar days and times so it is easier to run into them more than once and who in turn indirectly shape the culture of the cafe
5) a larger culture that does not reinforce the idea of "stranger danger"
in addition to those factors I believe some societal settings , which is largely beyond individual control ( may be even consciousness ) that determine our perception to a certain place , and the mode of socially accepted practise when we inhabit it
with regard to Cafes , in some countries Egypt and French for Example Cafes had been utilized as Cultural and artistic Forums and discussion platforms , I once came across a remark by the Germane sociologist and philosopher Jorgen Habermas about the role of coffeehouses in classic-era Europe as catalyst for spreading Democracy back then