Observing daily life in the city, a particular life reality of haste, density and an abundance of quickly changing impressions catches the eye. The world around us is filled up – new images and information continuously penetrate our sensory organs and interrupt natural processes of coming to terms with our environment and ourselves. Life in the city is the prime example for this phenomenon.
Our research project is based upon the aim to produce a counterbalance to this phenomenon. By that we do not intend to deny the appreciation of urban life in itself. We rather want to discuss and open up the possibility of creating a public space in which the city and its inhabitants can take a deep breath and recharge without being expected to consume. Does this sound familiar? Yes, parks oftentimes offer this opportunity. However, we want to conceptualize an even broader idea, a naturalized part of neighborhoods that can take different forms which include park-like sites, places indoors and smaller in-between areas.
This blog is both a research method and a way to present gathered material and discuss information from different sources. Academic articles will be reviewed, our own in-situ research in Malmö will be presented, and other sources of inspiration will also be shared to extract possible approaches and qualities that our desired space could have. With this strategy, we document the development of our concept and the trial-and-error process that will take place until we reach the point of defining our final result.
In the drop-down menu “Blog”, you can find three categories in which the posts are grouped:
- Theory: Keeps hold of the theoretical aspect of our research; reviews of academic essays, discussions of articles, books, and theories.
- Field Notes: Our own observation notes and recorded media from field research is documented in .
- Discourse Analysis: Gathers information from many different sources such as; official reports from organizations, journalistic articles, events and art to further develop the idea of Urban Sanctuaries.
- Discussion: Here we connect the given information to our own concept and summarize what we learned. This is where the real magic happens and the idea develops from a loose construct to an applicable urban planning concept – or at least, this is what we hope for 🙂
So, dear visitor, we hope you enjoy our blog! If you want to comment on our work, discuss different concepts with us or share your personal experience of Urban Sanctuaries with us – please do so! We are excited about possible cooperations and thankful for every single contribution.
Photo: Fernanda Jaraba Molt
Situating Serenity 