ABSTRACT
Public-space research was relatively scarce until the late 1980s, but has meanwhile grown in different academic disciplines, including sociology, geography, and urban design. Most of these studies have a ‘place-based approach’ with a strong focus on specific and often geographically bounded spaces (streets, squares, parks). They greatly enhance our knowledge on the use, design, meanings, and management of particular places. This chapter aims to explore how applying a ‘process-oriented approach’ that pays more attention to the processual nature of public spaces can further enrich public-space research. One section discusses the shift in our ontological understanding of public space from something fixed and bounded to a more dynamic and fluid interpretation. It illustrates that relations in public spaces are not limited by their physical confines, but are stretched in both time and space. Another section describes alternative epistemologies for developing a processual understanding of public space, in particular through the ‘go-along’ method. This method of literally being part of the flows and movement of people, goods and ideas not only gives informants a more active, powerful role in the research, but also enables fieldworkers to develop a better understanding of how people combine and relate diverse public spaces in both time and space.
