Social interactions in urban public places: participative method and recruitment strategies

This research focuses on the use of different public (and pseudo-public) spaces in urbanareas.1 It draws on a case study of a year-long research project in the town of Aylesbury insoutheast England, a market town with a population of around 69,000. The study set outto examine how different people use public spaces and to analyse how social interactionsvary by age, gender or place. What it does not do, is reflect what is known about thesedifferent groups’ use of other ‘spaces’, for example their own homes and other indoorfacilities. The findings were considered in terms of their relevance for emerging policyagendas on shared and contested spaces, intergenerational relationships, safety andsecurity, and the management of public space.The project is based on a mixed-methods approach, which involved discussion with awide range of stakeholders in the town, from local politicians and community leadersto business owners and managers; street surveys with members of the public at a rangeof observations sites; and non-participant observation at nine sites, undertaken by 46members of the general public (aged 16-73 years) over a 12-month period (October 2004to September 2005). The observations were carried out in three types of public spaces:residential neighbourhoods, green open spaces and town centre spaces, which wereconsidered representative of the town’s public spaces as a whole. The observations werecarried out across the day from 7am to 1am. The research method was highly participatory,with the observers also contributing to and informing the data analysis