1209 | 481 | What triggers residents’ negative perspective on a public space redesign? The socio-psychological embeddedness of conflicts. | Anke Klaever und Katharina Götting
Public space redesign projects contribute to the transport transition. Often, these redesign projects reallocate public space from motorized to active transport and leisure activities. Whereas some residents accept and enjoy the changes, others react with skepticism and rejection. Different interests, needs and values clash concerning the reallocation. The reactions to reallocation are often emotional and rooted in an affective automotive culture. Thus, experiencing reallocation of public space causes conflicts on the local level._x000D_
To better understand the motives behind critical opinions and resulting conflicts, we propose a socio-psychological embeddedness framework for conflict dimensions of public space redesign projects. Using a redesign of a public square in Berlin, we systematically analysed the conflicts and their embeddedness. Interviewees were recruited in the neighbourhood surrounding the square. The sample includes critical residents who shared their perceptions in in-depth interviews. Using deductive-inductive qualitative content analysis based on Gläser und Laudel (2009), 25 in-depth interviews were conducted and evaluated._x000D_
We classified three conflict dimensions, namely procedural, distributional and identity conflicts. Procedural conflicts emerged with emotions of frustration and anger. Interests on how the process should be designed did not vary much. In contrast, distributional conflicts evolved from different interests of how the space should be used. Within the distributional conflicts we further identified the values of conservation, self-enhancement, openness to change and self-transcendence. Identity conflicts came along different interests and values between actor groups as well as within individuals themselves. According to an agonistic understanding of democracy, these findings point to ways in which the occurring conflicts around redesign projects can be integrated and steered into a productive way of transforming public space. _x000D_
Anke Klaever und Katharina Götting
Reasearch Institute for sustainability
ID Abstract: 481