Urban attractiveness in public squares: the mutual influence of the urban environment and the social activities in Batna

Guedoudj, Wided; Ghenouchi, Ahmed; Toussaint, Jean-Yves

doi:10.1590/2175-3369.012.e20190162

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Scientific Article • urbe, Rev. Bras. Gest. Urbana 12 • 2020 • https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-3369.012.e20190162 copy

Urban attractiveness in public squares: the mutual influence of the urban environment and the social activities in Batna

Atratividade urbana em praças públicas: a influência mútua do ambiente urbano e das atividades sociais em Batna

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

This study examines how the components of the urban environment and its functionalities influence the attractiveness of public squares (PSs), and how they affect daily activities. This research is based on direct observations and surveys questionnaires. Data were collected from two PSs: May1st1945 square (MS, N=173) and Mohamed Harsous square (HS, N=97), located in Batna city centre (Algeria). The inquiry first includes an evaluation of urban environment layouts; a second evaluation to determine variables linked to environmental functionalities and utilization, and a third evaluation to assess social activities through characteristics of practices. The findings reveal that the components of the urban environment and its functionalities directly influence the attractiveness of PSs, mainly through proximity and comfort, and that shopping and leisure activities are also important for their attractiveness, but remain insufficient. This shows that attractiveness depends on the duration and variety of activities, including the interaction of people with these components to foster sociability. In addition, the use of these squares as a function of age and gender, and their appropriations are dealt with, since they have a direct effect on their uses and people’s preferences.

Keywords:
Public squares; Attractiveness; Urban environment components and functionalities; Sociability

The urban evolution in periods	French colonial PSs	An inherited patrimonial PS	Economical crisis with unmanaged urban planning	The impacts of the black decade	A massive urban transformations
The period duration	(1844-1962)	(1962-1980)	(1980-1990)	(1990-2000)	(2000-nowadays)
The Characteristics (political, economic, social) of the periods	- Based on European “Haussmann style” town planning standards, full of vegetation; - Dedicated to trading, leisure, hosting events and civic celebrations.	- Symbolising the liberation and revolution; Spaces of artistic, industrial and trade shows (Guedoudj 2013Guedoudj, W. (2013). Étude analytique des espaces publics urbains en Algérie: cas des places et placettes de la ville de Batna (Magister thesis). University of Biskra, Algeria.).	- Marginal use during the most important economic crisis in which the state left PS to abandon and insecurity (Hafiane, 2007Hafiane, A. (2007). Les projets d’urbanisme récents en Algérie. In 43rd ISOCARP Congress. Hague: International Society of City and Regional Planners.), after which squatting and vandalism took over.	- Known as a “civil war” (Rahal, 2017Rahal, M. (2017). 1988-1992: multipartism, Islamism and the descent into civil war. In P. Crowley (Ed.), Algeria: nation, culture and transnationalism: 1988-2013. Oxford: Oxford University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.5949/liverpool/9781786940216.003.0005. http://dx.doi.org/10.5949/liverpool/9781... ), terrorism and government policy repressed freedom to use public spaces and closed off PSs for control and security purposes (Naceur, 2007Naceur, F. (2007). Les jardins publics à Biskra: d’un espace de rencontre élitaire à une zone de non droit. In M. Berlan-Darqué, Y. Luginbühl, & D. Terrasson (Eds.), Paysages: de la connaissance à l’action (pp. 115-122). Versailles: Éditions Quæ.).	To reinvest, promote and improve urban quality following the urban enhancement programme and which has been accompanied by the expression of a wide range of social behaviours and practices, mainly linked to leisure, art and trade shows, etc (Naceur, 2017Naceur, F. (2017). Des femmes dans l’espace public: places et jardins à Batna. Les Annales de la Recherche Urbaine, 112(1), 106-115. http://dx.doi.org/10.3406/aru.2017.3244. http://dx.doi.org/10.3406/aru.2017.3244... ).

Users’ characteristics and categorizations		Public square respondents
		Harsous square (HS)² 2 (HS) acronym of Harsous square.		May 1^st 1945 square (MS)³ 3 (MS) acronym of May 1st 1945 square.
		(N⁴ 4 (N) acronym used for the number of survey samples. =97)	(%)	(N=173)	(%)
Gender	Female	07	7.22	59	34.10
Gender	Male	90	92.78	114	65.90
Age	12-18	02	2.06	11	6.36
	19-24	12	12.37	03	1.73
	25-40	35	36.08	42	24.28
	41-65	17	17.53	56	32.37
	+65	31	31.96	61	35.26
Housing characteristics	Resident	75	77.30	122	70.52
Housing characteristics	Visitor	22	22.6	51	29.48
House distance	Near	71	73	130	75.14
House distance	Far	26	26.8	43	24.86
Transportation mode	Walking	45	46.3	85	49.13
	Car ownership	19	19.5	60	34.68
	Public transportation	33	34	28	16.19
Education level	Illiterate	10	10.3	22	12.72
	Primary school	24	24.8	40	23.12
	Secondary school	31	32	45	26.01
	University	32	32.9	66	38.15
Occupation situation	Student	22	22.7	29	16.76
	Employed	31	32	58	33.53
	Unemployed	27	27.8	23	13.29
	Retired	17	17.5	63	36.42

UE components (PS attractiveness indicators	Public squares Observations and questionnaire results		Participants’ evaluations: total N= 270
UE components (PS attractiveness indicators	Harsous Square HS	May 1^st 1945 Square MS	HS: (N=97)		(%)	MS: (N=173)		(%)
Accessibility -Access conditions; street, ways and sidewalks layouts and comfort.	⁵ 5 The symbol () In (Table 3): represents common survey notes and results for both squares. A restrictive access from all sides; -Unsafe footpaths & sidewalks with presence of cars parking and stairs in (MS). * Rough pavement & rugged corners.		⁶ 6 The two qualifiers; (effective) with its negative form (not effective) mentioned in (Table 3) are used to determine the degree of the (acceptability, appreciation and satisfaction), with operational usability of the of the space and the layout (sufficiency, practicability, and durability) of the users toward the urban environment components and its functionalities; Effective	9	9.28%	Effective	23	13.29%
			⁷ 7 The numbers that follow the qualifier; e.g. (effective: 9/9.28), i.e. (9) signifies the number of responses from the total questionnaire number (97) collected in Harsous square. (9.28%) represents rather the percentage from (100%) of total questionnaires. Not effective	88	90.72%	Not effective	150	86.71%
-Proximity: Distance from neighbourhood, daily activities & locations.	Very good proximity with neighbourhood, shopping and other services. Ability to find destination within 5-10 minutes. *Interesting destinations to walk to.		Effective	95	97.94%	Effective	96	55.50%
			Not effective	2	2.06%	Not effective	77	40.50%
-Transportation facilities	*Good public transport accessibility (bus stop close by), bad accessibility by cars (parking alleys filled with congested road traffic).		Effective	71	73.20%	Effective	135	78.03%
-Transportation facilities			Not effective	26	26.80%	Not effective	38	21.97%
Comfort & public facilities -Safety from crime & traffic	Poor street lighting, no integration of CCTVs (security systems); Poorly maintained cycling path with traffic calming features; *Dangerous street crossing conditions (unclear road marking and lack of signalling).		Effective	15	15.46%	Effective	77	44.51%
			Not effective	82	84.54%	Not effective	96	55.49%
-Weather conditions & facilities management	-Coffee shops provide some removable sunshade layouts;	- Areas unprotected from weather conditions, despite the lack of shaded places.	Effective	38	37.11%	Effective	29	16.76%
-Weather conditions & facilities management	-Coffee shops provide some removable sunshade layouts;		Not effective	61	62.89%	Not effective	144	83.24%
-Seating possibilities	*Fixed seating with wood benches, planted pots also used for seating.		Effective	24	24.74%	Effective	29	16.76%
-Seating possibilities	- Coffee shops provide plastic benches.	- Corners’ stairs used as sitting zone.	Not effective	73	75.25%	Not effective	145	84%
-Public facilities	*Lack of modern, aesthetic & maintained facilities: garbage cans, play and physical activities, play spaces, parking spaces and bicycle places, physical activity facilities,		Effective	22	22.68%	Effective	57	32.53%
-Public facilities	-Non-functional water-jet; -Users don’t feel comfort with children playing around.	-Functional water-jet, becomes children playground; -Users aren’t bothered by playing around.	Not effective	75	77.32%	Not effective	115	66.47%
Aesthetics & landscape	An aesthetic architectural and urban landscape; Lack of maintenance of old neo-classical façades; lack of new architectural facade styles; increased degradation of plants; *Good cleanliness but could become better.		___	__	__	___	__	___
-Pleasance and maintenance with satisfaction	-Attracted by the coffee shops seating facilities amenities users & proximity of amenities;	- Attracted by the space and activities, distribution, facilities & proximity;	Effective	9	9.28%	Effective	36	20.81%
-Pleasance and maintenance with satisfaction			Not effective	88	90.72%	Not effective	137	79.19%
-Place attraction, satisfaction & distinctiveness	- Appreciation of all-day lively ambiance, sharing friends & neighbours; -A very crowded place.	- Appreciation of the calm ambiance, being with friends & family; - A less crowded place, except during events.	Effective	70	72.16%	Effective	122	70.52%
-Place attraction, satisfaction & distinctiveness			Not effective	27	27.84%	Not effective	51	29.48%

Visits Characteris- -tics	Evaluation of respondents’ activities in the two public squares
Visits Characteris- -tics	Harsous square HS activities (%)			May 1st 1945 square MS activities (%)
Cause of visit:	Necessary activities	Optional activities	Resultant activities	Necessary activities	Optional activities	Resultant activities
	Walking to: Food shopping (55.6)	Walking for HS to: Watching around (23)	Greeting & chatting (65.2)	Walking to Food shopping (61.4)	Walking to MS to: Watching around (17.8)	Greeting and chatting (35.7);
	Walking to: Food shopping (55.6)	Walking for HS to: Watching around (23)	Greeting & chatting (65.2)	Walking to Food shopping (61.4)	Walking to MS to: Watching around (17.8)	Weekend selling: (10.4)
	Work (17.3)	Go to the post-office & banks (15.1)	Play dominos & cards (22.4)	Work (18.5)	Go to the theater (11.3)	Daily selling (16.7)
	School (9.2)	Go to the post-office & banks (15.1)	Play dominos & cards (22.4)	Work (18.5)	Go to the theater (11.3)	Occasional selling (8.2)
	Waiting for a bus & car parking (17.9)	Window shopping (2.6)	Selling (12.4);	School (10.3)	An event (16.9)
				Waiting for a bus & car parking (9.8)	Window shopping (26.6)
		Sitting & resting at café terraces (43)			Sitting & resting (27.4)	Playing Kharbga⁸ 8 Kharbga in (Table 4) is an ancestral board game (strategy), well-known in northern Africa and generally played by groups of elderly people. For further details: Kharbga Game Network (2019). (21)
		An event (16.3)				Children play around the water-jet (8)
Time of visit: (Peak hours)	7:30; 9:00; 10:30; 12:00 (AM)	9:00; 10:00; (AM)	8:00; 9:30, 11:00 (AM)	7:30; 9:00; 10:30; 12:00 (AM)	9:00; 10:00; 12:00(AM)	8:00; 9:30, 11:00 (AM)
	1:30; 4:30, 7:00 (PM)	1:00; 4:30, 6:00, 9:00; 11:30 (PM)	3:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:30, 10:30, 12:00(PM)	1:30; 3:30, 4:30, 7:00 (PM)	1:00; 4:30, 6:00, 7:30; 9:00; 11:30 (PM)	3:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:30, 10:30; 12:00(PM)
Frequency Per/day:	53.7≥3t/day 3t/day ≥46.3	35.5≥3t/day 3t/day ≥64.5	16.2≥3t/day 3t/day ≥83.3	56.5≥3t/day 3t/day ≥43.5	55.4≥3t/day 3t/day ≥44.6	28.3≥3t/day 3t/day ≥71.7
Daily:	53.3	24.6	32.6	59.6	54.3	29.3
Weekly	22.7	54.8	26.9	24.7	29.7	34.2
Occasional	24	20.6	40.5	15.7	16	36.5
Stay duration:	2 min ≥ 74.3	10 min ≥ 32.7	1h ≥ 34.5	2 min ≥ 54.2	10 min ≥ 21.4	1h ≥ 26.6
Stay duration:	10 min≤ 25.7	2hrs ≤ 67.3	3hrs ≤ 65.5	10 min ≤ 45.8	2hrs ≤ 78.6	3hrs ≤ 73.4
Companion-ship:	With neighbour (30.6)	With neighbour (21.2)	With neighbour (30.9)	With neighbour (36)	With neighbour (27.2);	With neighbour (22.6)
	With friend (39.4)	With friend (56.4)	friend (62.5)	With friend (29.5)	With friend (46.5)	With friend (56.6)
	with children (6)	With children (9)	with children (3)	with children (11)	With children (20.1)	with children (15.4)
	Alone (24)	Alone (13.4)	Alone (3.6)	Alone (23.5)	Alone (6.2)	Alone (5.4)
Variation of activities:	Waiting for RDV, event (46.3)	Necessities shopping (56.6)	Shopping (37)	Waiting for RDV, event (44.7)	Necessities shopping (58.3)	Shopping (36.8)
	Window shoppings (21.2)	Bus waiting & car parking (43.4)	Waiting for RDV, event (41.5)	Window shopping (22.5)	Bus waiting &car parking (41.7)	Waiting for RDV, event (49.3)
	Resting & chatting (32.5)	/	Bus waiting & car parking (21.5)	Resting & chatting (32.8)	/	Bus waiting & car parking (13.9)
Gender mix:	Yes 9.3 / No 90.7	Yes 5.8 / No 94.2	Yes 3.2 / No 96.8	Yes 10.1/ No 89.9	Yes 13.4/ No 86.6	Yes 25.4/ No 74.6

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[1] WG is assistant professor, PhD candidate, e-mail: wided.guedoudj@univ-batna.dzAG is PhD, lecturer, e-mail: ahmed.ghenouchi@yahoo.frJYT is professor, laboratory director, e-mail: jean-yves.toussaint@insa-lyon.fr