1261 | 864 | Inhabitants’ experience to understand places: a spatial approach to quality of inhabiting for the analysis of spatial care

In recent decades, many organizations have dedicated themselves to the analysis of happiness (e.g., the UN, OECD, or national statistical institutes); however, these surveys often do not consider the territorial dimension, i.e., the socio-territorial differences that characterize each place of living. The research that is proposed aims to understand space as relational and relative, that is, defined by the set of relationships found in this space and considers inhabiting as a dynamic movement that relates inhabitants to the territories they inhabit (Lévy, 2014). _x000D_
After the analysis of international reports and a phase of defining the characteristics of the places of happy living through the use of collaborative webmapping, the third phase of the research involved the consultation of some key stakeholders in four neighborhoods of Bergamo (IT). The interviews showed residents’ perceptions of everyday places of neighborhood living, highlighting how a new approach to socio-territorial analysis is possible to value residents’ experiences (Tuan, 1977). The sense of place changes among individuals and combines the senses, movement, memory, and imagination (Relph, 2007) and takes on a concrete implication, oriented toward social practice and caring for place through a feeling of philia. The analysis conducted lays the foundation for a new spatial approach based on an ethics of care (Lussault, 2017)._x000D_
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Lévy J. (2014), “Inhabiting”, in: Roger Lee et al. (Ed.), The Sage Handbook of Human Geography, London, Sage._x000D_
Lussault M. (2017), “Towards an ethic of local care”, in: Lussault M., Fort F., Jacques M., Brugères F., le Blanc G. (a cura di), Constellation.s. Inhabiting the World, Actes Sud, Arles, pp. 568-578._x000D_
Relph E. (2007), “Spirit of place and sense of place in virtual reality”, Techné: research in Philosophy and technology, 11, 1, pp. 17-25._x000D_
Tuan Y.F. (1977), Space and Place. The perspective of Experience, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press.

Marta Rodeschini
University of Bergamo

ID Abstract: 864