Advancing the methodologies and concepts for a spatio-temporal perspective on the urban social context

As cities face increasingly complex challenges, rhythms provide a novel perspective for urban policymaking and design by focusing on spatio-temporal dynamics. In Amsterdam Zuidoost, civil servants seek context-dependent and adaptable approaches to improve services, infrastructure, and public spaces, centralising residents’ experiences and daily habits. This dissertation explores city rhythms in urban spaces, institutions, and social relations in Amsterdam Zuidoost, offering conceptualisations of urban life that bridge sociological and architectural perspectives. Visualisation of rhythms in these domains functions as boundary objects, enabling shared reflection for designers, policymakers, and residents on spatial and temporal qualities behind urban social phenomena. In this light, the dissertation identifies three key concepts based on case studies in Amsterdam Zuidoost: rhythm zones (trash in outdoor spaces), rhythm-scapes (youth care in organisational settings), and rhythm spheres (social life during the COVID-19 pandemic). The results contribute to the application of rhythms in urban studies to pave the way to transdisciplinary understandings of urban life.

Source: Pınar Şefkatlı (2024), City Rhythms in Action Advancing the methodologies and concepts for
a spatio-temporal perspective on the urban social context, PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam.

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