Virtual Activity Becomes Visible - ICT Users in Public Places

Whether utilizing our smartphones for navigation or skyping our friend on our way, the use of ICTs affects the way that we walk through and stay in public places. "Dancing" mobile phone users are only one example of this. Their virtual activity becomes visible in public places. This master thesis is about contemporary demands on public space imposed by the new ICT generation, and aims to explore ethe behaviour of ICT users in public places. Therefore, it investigates the question of how the use of ICTs affects the way that people use public places and whar that means for urban planning. To this end, the thesis combines a literature review with an empirical study on the Münsterplatz in Bonn, Germany. The interviews and observations from this case study identified examples of characteristics of ICT users that are described in the literature; however, they also revealed new insights. Therefore, the thesis contributes to a greater understanding of the behaviour and demands of ICT users in public places and identifies ICT users as one user group, out-of-many, with specific demands on public space