Operationalizing affordances for public space: artefacts and their various uses

The demands on public space are manifold, and are likely to increase due to the densification of cities and diversification of societies. How can we better understand public space, and plan spaces that accommodate a wider range of users and activities? This paper discusses the concept of affordances and operationalizes it for public space research. Affordances are possibilities for action that users can engage in when in an environment or using an artefact. Studying public space through the lens of affordances is a relational approach that can serve as a planning and design tool or as a means of evaluating public space in post-occupancy studies. We address three questions regarding affordances in public space: who produces them, what and how do they afford, and to whom? We then present a typology of five affordances, empirically grounded by interviews and observations in three public squares in Zurich, Switzerland: expected, extended, secondary, intentionally shaped and unintentionally shaped affordances. By examining representative artefacts, we show that affordances may be created intentionally by different actors but also emerge unintentionally from relations between human beings, artefacts and the environment. They all shape the way in which public space is used, and by whom.