ABSTRACT
At intersections people are exposed to the greatest density of other people and the greatest range of sensory phenomena and opportunities for action. Where paths intersect, people are brought up close. It is common to encounter strangers who have different trajectories. Because of restricted visibility, these encounters can happen quite suddenly and unexpectedly. Hence intersections can be experienced as a compression of social time and space. This intensification can stimulate playful responses. Intersections also punctuate journeys through urban space. People’s need to change direction, or to navigate their way through intersecting flows of people or traffic, generally causes them to slow down, or to become temporarily stationary. This intensifies their attention to things around them, the things which are not in their line of movement (Lynch 1960). It also increases the opportunity for engaging with these distractions. An intersection expands time, creating a time apart during which play is possible. Intersections are points of both convergence and divergence. Intersections broaden the field of vision, opening up new options for experience and directions for movement. Phenomenologically, space opens out at an intersection. Intersections are thus sites where people can be distracted from instrumental purpose.
