نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 دانشجوی دکتری، گروه معماری، دانشکدگان هنرهای زیبا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
2 استاد، گروه معماری، دانشکدگان هنرهای زیبا، دانشگاه تهران، تهران، ایران.
چکیده
فضاهای باز شهری نقش حیاتی در تسهیل و تقویت تعاملات اجتماعی میان افراد دارند. این فضاها نه تنها به‌عنوان مکان‌هایی برای فعالیت‌های تفریحی و استراحت عمل می‌کنند، بلکه بسترهایی مؤثر برای تقویت روابط اجتماعی و ارتقای کیفیت زندگی شهری فراهم می‌آورند. بررسی پیشینه پژوهشهای داخلی نشان می‌دهد تعاملات اجتماعی در حوزه معماری و شهرسازی عمدتاً با سه مفهوم کلیدی «حضورپذیری»، «اجتماع‌پذیری» و «کیفیت محیط» به‌عنوان عوامل اصلی تأثیرگذار بررسی شدهاند، بی‌آن‌که رابطه مفهومی و ساختاری این مفاهیم با یکدیگر و با چارچوب‌های نظری جهانی به‌روشنی تبیین شده باشد. این پژوهش با هدف بازخوانی و تبیین این مفاهیم در بستری مفهومی، ابتدا با بهره‌گیری از تحلیل واژگان کلیدی و مرور نظریات جهانی، مؤلفههای تعاملات اجتماعی را در پنج دسته کالبدی_محیطی، فعالیتی_رفتاری، ادراکی_روانی، زمینهای_فرهنگی و فناورانه_دیجیتال طبقه‌بندی کرده و آنها را در چارچوب مدل مکان دیوید کانتر سامان داده است. در مرحله بعد، به منظور یافتن ارتباط میان مفاهیم اصلی تحقیقات داخلی و نظریات جهانی، با استفاده از دستورالعمل PRISMA و روش فراترکیب، ۳۲ مقاله داخلی منتخب، با بهره‌گیری از نرم‌افزار MAXQDA تحلیل و کدگذاری شدهاند. یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد حضورپذیری، بیشتر تحت تأثیر عوامل کالبدی_محیطی مانند تسهیلات محیطی و سازماندهی فضایی قرار دارد. اجتماع‌پذیری به عوامل فعالیتی_رفتاری وابسته است که شامل فعالیت‌های گروهی و فضاهای جمعی می‌شود. کیفیت محیط نیز به عوامل ادراکی_روانی مانند جذابیت، احساس راحتی و معنای محیط مرتبط است. مؤلفههای زمینهای و فناورانه نیز نقش تعدیلگر دارند. این سه مفهوم نه تنها به‌صورت مستقل، بلکه به‌شکل متقابل بر یکدیگر تأثیر گذاشته و تعاملات اجتماعی را در فضاهای باز شهری تقویت می‌کنند. یافته‌های این تحقیق، چارچوبی کاربردی برای طراحان و برنامه‌ریزان شهری ارائه می‌دهد و به توسعه محیط‌هایی اجتماعی‌تر و جذاب‌تر کمک می‌کند.
کلیدواژه‌ها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
Conceptual Framework of Social Interactions in Urban Open Spaces: A Meta-Synthesis Analysis of the concepts of Presence, Sociability, and Environmental Quality
نویسندگان [English]
- mehrdad hedayatian 1
- Alireza Einifar 2
1 Department of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
چکیده [English]
Highlights
The concepts of presence, sociability, and environmental quality often overlap and lack clear conceptual boundaries in domestic urban studies.
Recent theoretical shifts regard urban space not as a passive backdrop, but as an active agent in shaping social interactions.
Canter’s place model is integrated with key dimensions of social interaction in urban open spaces.
Presence, sociability, and environmental quality each align most strongly with one of the spatial, behavioral, or perceptual dimensions.
Sustainable social interaction requires balanced integration of presence, sociability, and environmental quality in urban design.
Introduction
Urban open spaces constitute vital arenas for everyday social life, enabling a wide range of encounters, collective practices, and cultural expressions. However, the conceptualization of the mechanisms through which these spaces facilitate social interactions remains fragmented. Among the most frequently invoked but ambiguously defined concepts are presence, sociability, and environmental quality. While often mentioned in research, these constructs are applied inconsistently, with overlapping meanings and unclear boundaries.
This study aims to clarify their conceptual positions and interrelations by constructing an analytical framework grounded in Canter’s theory of place. Through a qualitative meta-synthesis of 373 domestic articles, supplemented by insights from international scholarship, the research develops a five-component model of social interactions in urban open spaces. The goal is to contribute a theoretically informed and practically applicable framework that can guide urban designers, planners, and policymakers toward creating spaces that are both socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
Theoretical Framework
Evolution of Theories on Social Interaction in Urban Open Spaces
The relationship between space and social interaction has been theorized through several distinct phases:
Classical and Structuralist Theories (pre-1960s): These approaches treated space as a passive container, with social interactions determined largely by societal structures, hierarchies, and institutions rather than spatial form.
Human-Centered and Experiential Approaches (1960s–1980s): Inspired by Jane Jacobs and others, this perspective emphasized urban space as an active setting for lived experience, spontaneous encounters, and informal social life.
Spatial and Quantitative Approaches (1980s–2000s): Analytical methods such as Space Syntax highlighted the relationship between spatial configuration and behavioral patterns, focusing on how design and layout influence movement and interaction.
Contextual and Participatory Approaches (2000s–present): Recent theories integrate notions of spatial justice, sustainability, digital technology, and community agency, reflecting a multi-layered and dynamic understanding of urban interactions.
Components of Social Interactions in Open Spaces
Based on theoretical and empirical studies, five overarching components shape social interactions in urban open spaces:
Spatial–Environmental
Behavioral–Activity
Perceptual–Psychological
Contextual–Cultural
Technological–Digital
Interpretation via Canter’s Place Model: This study aligns three primary components with Canter’s model of place:
The spatial–environmental dimension corresponds to form;
The behavioral–activity dimension relates to spatial actions;
The perceptual–psychological dimension aligns with meaning.
Contextual–cultural and technological–digital dimensions are treated as moderating factors, influencing the intensity and quality of interactions. The final model conceptualizes social interaction as a triad of form–activity–meaning, surrounded by cultural and technological mediators. This holistic perspective allows for a deeper explanation of how urban open spaces foster social life.
Methodology
The research adopts a qualitative, fundamental–descriptive approach, employing the meta-synthesis method based on Sandelowski and Barroso’s (2006) seven-step model.
Data Collection: An initial pool of 687 domestic articles was identified. After applying PRISMA-based inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 articles were selected for detailed analysis.
Analysis Tool: MAXQDA software was used to code, categorize, and interpret findings.
Key Gap: Domestic literature often uses presence, sociability, and environmental quality without systematic differentiation, leading to conceptual ambiguity.
The analysis demonstrates that each of the three core concepts is structured around the three main dimensions (physical–environmental, activity–behavioral, and perceptual–psychological), supported by seven sub-dimensions. Importantly, each concept exhibits a dominant orientation:
Presence → Physical–Environmental
Sociability → Activity–Behavioral
Environmental Quality → Perceptual–Psychological
Results and Discussion
Presence: Presence reflects the capacity of a space to attract and retain users. It is strongly associated with the physical–environmental dimension, including amenities, accessibility, and spatial organization. Yet, mere physical occupation does not guarantee meaningful interaction; it is a prerequisite rather than a sufficient condition.
Sociability: Sociability corresponds to the activity–behavioral dimension, emphasizing participatory environments, collective events, and opportunities for face-to-face engagement. This highlights the role of programming and design for activity in enabling vibrant urban life.
Environmental Quality: Closely tied to the perceptual–psychological dimension, environmental quality involves users’ perceptions of safety, comfort, attractiveness, and belonging. These subjective evaluations strongly influence whether individuals choose to linger, engage, or avoid a space.
Together, these findings underscore that social interaction is a multidimensional phenomenon, shaped by an interplay of physical, behavioral, and perceptual elements. Recognizing the distinct but complementary orientations of presence, sociability, and environmental quality provides a theoretical foundation for integrated urban design strategies.
Conclusion
The proposed conceptual framework clarifies the overlapping domains of presence, sociability, and environmental quality while situating them within a multidimensional model of social interaction in urban open spaces.
Key conclusions include:
Each concept exerts a distinct influence on social interactions, yet they are interdependent and mutually reinforcing.
Presence functions as a prerequisite, enabled by spatial accessibility and environmental amenities.
Sociability is enhanced through participatory programming, collective activities, and inclusive design.
Environmental Quality shapes users’ psychological perceptions and willingness to remain, creating conditions conducive to interaction.
Sustainable social interaction requires balanced integration across physical, behavioral, and perceptual domains. Overemphasizing one while neglecting others produces limited results.
By adopting this integrated perspective, urban planners and designers can create spaces that are not only functionally efficient but also socially inclusive and psychologically engaging. Such environments form the backbone of sustainable and socially resilient cities.
کلیدواژه‌ها [English]
- Presence
- Sociability
- Environmental Quality
- Social Interactions
- Urban Open Spaces
- Meta-Synthesis
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