Analysing spatial behaviour in semi-public spaces adjoining residential buildings in Valletta

Abstract

This research identifies the semi-public space to be necessary for people to reaffirm human connections that could help support public open spaces in a setting where buildings have become free-floating, causing a separation between the private and public spheres. The research takes the topic a step further and investigates the possibility of blurring the boundaries between the public and the private and to call for a new understanding of the semi-public space as a physical and social entity. Valletta, the European Capital of Culture for 2018, aims to integrate all the communities within socially fragmented neighborhoods and to generate spaces that soften the urban fabric and spur community life. Thus, an opportunity exists to investigate spatial behaviour in semi-public spaces adjoining residential buildings in Valletta, comprising of the interrelationship between the physical setting and the interpersonal dimension of human behaviour. Such examination shed light on the importance of formulating an analytical framework, consisting of theoretical principles that were necessary for conducting the study on the selected semi-public spaces. By employing a methodology that combines direct field observations and interviews, the relationship between the two above-mentioned components could be explored. A number of tools were used to distil the physical properties of each site, enable the categorization of the observed behavioural patterns and investigate the physical-behavioural relationship. The interviews introduced additional intangible aspects related to the residents' opinion of the space and emerged new prospects regarding the contribution of this research to the vision of Valletta. The findings from the study shed light on causal links between the real-life setting and the theoretical principles and provided valuable additions to existing theories through a refinement of the analytical framework. In addition, the research revealed new indicators which contribute to the formulation of a framework specific to the semi-public space. The issues which emerged from the interviews manly relate to the residents' fear of displacement which escalates with the rapid renewal of the city, community conflicts generated by aggressive appropriation of the space and the lack of aspiration to personalize community shared spaces. These results outline the importance of creating opportunities that could foster cooperative efforts between long-term and short-term users of the space and establish a network which extends over to the community and to catch up more residential areas in Valletta.