Post-Phenomenological Analysis of the Effect of Sense of Time on the Index of Sociability of Public Open Spaces (A Case Study of KoohSangi Square in Mashhad)

Abstract

A large part of people’s social life takes place in public spaces where people’s social interactions are defined. Therefore, sociability is considered one of the most important qualities of public spaces. For a comprehensive and efficient study of the nature of public spaces, it is necessary to examine this nature in different time frames. A post-phenomenological approach helps to define the sense of place in relation to the sense of time. This approach examines public spaces as an event that opens themselves to changes and are formed simultaneously with dynamic activities. In this regard, the purpose of this research is to analyze a correlation between the time factor and the level of sociability indicators of public spaces affected by the time factor with a post-phenomenological approach and to investigate how the sociability factors are related to daily and annual time cycles, quantitatively and qualitatively. This study employs a mixed methods descriptive-analytical approach. This study focuses on the environment, behavior, analysis, and evaluation of the place and policies and programs using a case study in KoohSangi Square of Mashhad. Data was collected using documentary studies, closed-ended questionnaires, semi-structured in-depth interviews, and intermittent observations, and analyzed using analogical, content, graphics and Depthmap 1, and SSPS software. The findings show that the degree of influence of indicators in promoting the sociability of public spaces is strongly influenced by the time factor. This means that most of the indicators have been very successful in attracting people to the space in some specific periods. While this is not the case in other periods their effects are greatly reduced. Coordinating and assimilating indicators with the needs of the audience in different time frames has a great impact on the social-spatial function of public spaces and improving their sociability and the physical-spatial characteristics related to the sociability indicators of the space in different time cycles are in accordance with the desired and usual behavior patterns of the users and at the highest level of integration, form, space, function and time are a suitable ground for the occurrence of cultural events or the physical representation of collective values and norms.

Keywords

• sense of time
• time cycles
• post phenomenology
• sociability
• public open spaces