Daily street life in the inner city of Prague under transformation: the visual experience of socio-spatial differentiation and temporal rhythms
Abstrakt
The paper is concerned with the everyday manifestat ion of increasing social, life-style and cultural diversity in the t ransforming inner city of Prague. The Smíchov neighbourhood and part icularly its central hub, the Andel junction, were chosen as the focus of the study.
The regenerat ion dynamics during the post -socialist t ransformat ion make this place part icularly interest ing for an inquiry into the interplay of the social and physical environment, into the interact ions of changing urban landscapes and people's everyday practices. Part icular attent ion is paid to the character of ordinary daily street life, to the users of urban space and to the manifestat ion of close-knit social, spat ial and temporal diversity in the close vicinity of the Andel hub.
The paper concludes with the necessity of including the temporal dimension of space in urban planning and design pract ice. Methodologically the case study derives principally from direct observat ion of neighbourhood life and users, but also draws on the extensive research previously conducted in the neighbourhood by the authors and from intensive experience of living in the area.