I explore how recreational canoeists develop sense of place developed and ecological identity through experience. The intersection between artefact and narrative is the entry-point of exploration of understandings of how recreational canoeists learn through experiences. There are three structural elements. A factional narrative arc of a canoe trip frames the work. Fragments of collective narratives: weave into this story and add richness and depth of experience. Participants’ interwoven narratives form the second element of this work. Finally, footnotes underpin this text to explain and support the research. They emerge to reflect the complexity of telling, and understanding, experience. This is a story of stories. This is a story of a trip that never happened. It holds real participants’ narratives based in lived experiences that shape this story. Narratives emerge between artefact and experience, between experience and ecological identity, between ecological identity and place, and between place and story.

I explore how recreational canoeists develop sense of place developed and ecological identity through experience. The intersection between artefact and narrative is the entry-point of exploration of understandings of how recreational canoeists learn through experiences. There are three structural elements. A factional narrative arc of a canoe trip frames the work. Fragments of collective narratives: weave into this story and add richness and depth of experience. Participants’ interwoven narratives form the second element of this work. Finally, footnotes underpin this text to explain and support the research. They emerge to reflect the complexity of telling, and understanding, experience. This is a story of stories. This is a story of a trip that never happened. It holds real participants’ narratives based in lived experiences that shape this story. Narratives emerge between artefact and experience, between experience and ecological identity, between ecological identity and place, and between place and story.

China has become one of the world’s economic engines. One major driving force is the rapid urbanization. Such fast development results in resource and energy depletion, pollution and environmental deterioration. The government has recently endorsed green buildings and urged ministries to work out a national action plan. It is predicted that green building will be the next big thing in China. But before importing any foreign green technology and green designs, is there something to be learned from the Chinese ancestors? In the long history of China, the Chinese have always employed a system of construction with the influences of geography, climate, culture, philosophy, economy and politics deeply rooted in China, making the Chinese traditional architecture distinct. Embedded in the formation of the city, siheyuan 四合院, the courtyard house in Beijing was one exceptional dwelling example that inherited the quintessence of the thousand years of building experiences and knowledge of the ancestors. This traditional urban type not only celebrated the rich and unique cultural heritage of China, it also played an important role in maximizing the natural forces to create a pleasant and comfortable environment for living. Population growth, political and economic reforms over time however have drastically changed the fate of this historical heritage. Especially under the pressure of the fast development and economic boom after the introduction of the Open Door Policy in 1978, the traditional courtyards were the first to be demolished due to the lack of modern facilities and the inability to accommodate the growing population. They were often replaced by apartment blocks and high-rise towers – imported types based on planning regulations developed in the West, outside the cultural and environmental milieu of Beijing. As a result, the city is now filled with many energy intensive buildings that eat away both the “city’s essence” and the valuable natural resources. With the current policy and ambition of China, the teardown courtyard sites within the old city wall that are still waiting for development offer the potential to address the remediation and reinterpretation of the traditional typology in a contemporary city. The thesis investigates the essences of the traditional courtyard house and explores the way to apply such qualities to the design of a new courtyard typology in contemporary Beijing. The proposal anticipates a holistic approach on both environmental, social, cultural and economic level, so as to carry out preservation that manifests in experience rather than physical restoration, and to create a project that is truly sustainable.

ABSTRACT LOCAL DYNAMICS IN THE PROCESS OF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION PROJECTS IN KASTAMONU Aysu Kes M.Sc., Urban Policy Planning and Local Governments Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sibel Kalaycioglu January 2006, 102 pages The aim of this thesis is to understand the local participation dynamics in Turkey, especially in the cities with small populations. The conservation and restoration projects in Kastamonu were chosen as the case in order to achieve this aim. These projects include the restoration and reuse of historical/traditional houses in Turkey. The research was focused on the stakeholders in relation to these projects in order to be able to examine the social processes with regard to the local participation in Kastamonu. The major data collection method of this research was interviews with three groups of stakeholders. These stakeholders were the decision- makers, the owners of the houses, and the local people. For the research, 41 interviews were conducted in November 2004 in Kastamonu. The interviews included questions with regard to perceptions of the respondents about the issues of participation and decision- making dynamics, as well as the conception of sense of place, through the conservation and restoration processes. All these interviews were recorded and transcribed for discourse analysis. There are three major findings of this thesis. Firstly, the stakeholders do not have a consistent perception of what participation is. This leads to the second finding that the level of interaction and the level of participation are low among the stakeholders. Thirdly, the conservation and restoration projects in Kastamonu are perceived as economic investments by the vast majority of people. The heritage and cultural value of the houses are less frequently referred to.

Cette thèse s’attache à expliquer les différenciations de publics étudiants entre les universités publiques de la région Île-de-France. Issues de la division de l’Université de Paris après 1968, ou pour les quatre plus récentes du plan U2000 (1991), ces seize établissements constituent un paysage universitaire complexe et hiérarchisé. À partir d’un cadre théorique bourdieusien considérant la dimension spatiale des rapports sociaux, la problématique de recherche interroge les mécanismes matériels, institutionnels et représentationnels d’une ségrégation universitaire, définie par analogie avec les travaux sur les niveaux primaire et secondaire du système scolaire français. L’analyse de données caractérisant les étudiants des seize universités (MESR-SISE) est croisée avec une enquête par entretiens auprès d’acteurs universitaires et d’environ quatre-vingt étudiants, dont la moitié a été suivie sur trois ans (entretiens répétés), inscrits en Droit, Administration Économique et Sociale et Géographie, à Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne et Paris 8 Vincennes - Saint-Denis. Dans une métropole parisienne ségréguée, la carte universitaire contribue à différencier les recrutements étudiants, à travers la localisation des offres de formation, les stratégies d’établissement qui y sont associées mais également les discontinuités créées par les systèmes d’affectation à l’entrée en L1 non sélective (système RAVEL puis Admission Post-Bac à partir de 2009). L’intériorisation socialement située des contraintes institutionnelles et matérielles (accessibilité en transport) définit des espaces des possibles universitaires distincts selon les étudiants. Leur sens du placement dépend de leur capital scolaire antérieur comme de leur trajectoire sociale. Les mobilités étudiantes entre universités constituent une clé de lecture de ces ajustements, qui (re)produisent les différenciations de publics entre établissements. / This doctoral research aims at explaining the differences of student populations between the universities of the Île-de-France region. Twelve of the sixteen universities were created after the events of May 1968, and four of them in 1991 (U2000 plan). Hence, the university landscape in the Parisian region is both complex and hierarchical. A bourdieusian perspective focused on the spatial dimension of social relations questions the factors of university segregation, defined by analogy with school segregation. Along with mental images, these factors can be analysed through material (transport systems) and institutional (allocation systems for students entering higher education) issues. Data describing the social characteristics of student populations are combined with interviews with academics and with nearly eighty students (half of them interviewed twice, or three times). Those students are registered in Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (in the quartier Latin) or in Paris 8 Vincennes - Saint-Denis, located in the northern underprivileged suburb of Paris, in Law, Geography or Administration faculties. In a segregated metropolis, allocation systems and universities strategies (specialization of curricula), along with location of faculties, create university segregation. For each student, higher education potentialities depend on his perception of institutional and material barriers. Inequalities of access to universities can be analysed through a sense of placement, resulting from the social trajectory and school capital of social agents. Indeed, students’ mobilities between universities reveal adjustments, reproducing social difference of student populations between universities.

This thesis aims to examine how Swedish ‘sommarstuga’ (Summer Cottage) or ‘cabins’ contributes to the production of gender equal values. This ethnographic work is based on the central case study of the members from Uppsala Extremsportförening, (UppX) and their interactions during two cabin trips; one to a surf cabin in Ericeira Portugal and the other a family cabin in Ängskärs, Sweden. The fieldwork conducted was implemented in a multi-sited ethnographic approach allowing for a broader perspective of possible fieldsites and the techniques of ‘Following The People’ and ‘Carnal Sociology’. Consequently, this led to unique experiences where the ‘sense of place’ of Swedish cabin traditions and values could be seen being practiced in Portugal. While, aiming to address the participants of this fieldwork thoughts and views on myths and misconceptions of Sweden’s image as a utopia or role model for egalitarian values. This thesis highlights that cabins and their surrounding spaces facilitate more than just sporting pursuits. They are a microcosm of interactions, a social space for family and friends, for play and gender politics; a world within a world. Concluding that, Swedish cabins are a ‘heterotopia’ or haven that facilitates gender equal interactions, evidencing this through case studies of gender equal participation in various sporting activities while staying in two very different cabins.

nÃo hà / Esta dissertaÃÃo investiga a constituiÃÃo de sentidos para o lugar praÃa Portugal, logradouro da cidade de Fortaleza, no CearÃ, considerando as experiÃncias de jovens frequentadores do local nas noites de sÃbado, durante os anos de 2008 e 2009. A anÃlise dos usos feitos do espaÃo e dos sentidos elaborados a partir de vivÃncias individuais e coletivas considerou interaÃÃes engendradas em uma zona conformada entre a praÃa e uma comunidade on-line do site de redes sociais orkut, denominada PraÃa Portugal. Essa zona de interaÃÃo foi delineada por meio de um recorte estabelecido para esta pesquisa, mas à considerada tambÃm sinal de uma nova condiÃÃo de experiÃncia do espaÃo. Os encontros na comunidade on-line PraÃa Portugal estenderam a experiÃncia de estar juntos dos jovens frequentadores da praÃa para alÃm dos encontros presenciais aos sÃbados. A convivÃncia no ciberespaÃo representou a possibilidade de deslocamento de relaÃÃes sociais de contextos locais para relaÃÃes estabelecidas em outros parÃmetros de espaÃo e tempo. Observando as relaÃÃes dos frequentadores entre si e com o espaÃo da praÃa, foi possÃvel indicar a permanÃncia, em 2008 e 2009, de sentidos elaborados para o lugar desde o inÃcio dos anos 2000: espaÃo para vivÃncias de liberdade de aÃÃo e expressÃo; de realizaÃÃo de escambo ou comÃrcio paralelo de bens simbÃlicos; de confronto com a diversidade de estilos associados ao consumo de bens simbÃlicos; e de estreitamento de laÃos de amizade. Na perspectiva dos sujeitos, foram verificados modos distintos de experimentar os sentidos partilhados coletivamente. No entrelaÃado de tradicionais e novas possibilidades de interaÃÃo social, observou-se a relevÃncia dos processos de comunicaÃÃo para o estabelecimento de vÃnculos entre os sujeitos inscritos espacialmente e deles para com o espaÃo, portanto para constituiÃÃo de lugares / This dissertation investigates the constitution of senses of place to the Portugal square, in Fortaleza, CearÃ, considering the experiences of young local goers on Saturday nights in 2008 and 2009. The analysis of uses to that space and the meanings created from individual and collective experiences considered interactions between the square and a online community of social network website orkut, called PraÃa Portugal. The zone of interaction was delineated by a cut set for this research, but is also considered a sign of a new condition of experience of space. The meetings in the online community PraÃa Portugal extended the experience of being together of young people who frequented the square in addition to face to face meeting on Saturdays. Living together in cyberspace represented the possibility of shifting social relations from local contexts for relationships established in other parameters of space and time. Observing the relationship between the customers themselves and with the space of square, was possible to identify, in 2008 and 2009, different senses of place to the Portugal square which has been attributed since the early 2000s: space for experiencing the freedom of action and expression; of conduct of parallel trade or barter of symbolic goods; confrontation with the diversity of styles associated with the consumption of symbolic goods; and stronger ties of friendship. From the viewpoint of the subjects, was found different ways to experience the senses of place collectively shared. The association between traditional and new possibilities of social interaction became possible to evidence the importance of communication processes for the establishment of links between subjects and spaces, so to set up places

Pokémon GO hit the world with a bang in the summer of 2016 and has since then set new records regarding revenue on multiple occasions. It has been researched extensively, although first and foremost from a HCI (human-computer interactions) and healthcare/public health perspective. In particular, studies approaching the phenomenon from a human geography and urban planning perspective have been very limited. This study therefore takes an inductive and exploratory approach and explores the ways in which Pokémon GO influences how players use and experience the city and how urban planners can use Pokémon GO in their work. To do this, nine interviews were conducted, six with currently active players and three with completely new players. A number of different themes emerged from the interviews and was subsequently used to structure the results. Physical activity, social interactions and benefits and exploration and discovery were the most prominent themes and also the most frequently mentioned reasons why players enjoy the game. Finally the findings are discussed in relation to planning with a focus on participatory planning practices but also in more general terms regarding urban and spatial planning.

Blomquist, Aviva (2021). Understanding Community Sense of Place and Social Sustainability Through Instagram: The establishment of Rågsved nature reserve and the demolition Snösätra Graffiti Wall of Fame. Human Geography, advanced level, master’s thesis for Master exam in Human Geography, 30 ECTS credits  Supervisor: Danielle Drozdzewski Language: English Key words: Digital geography, sense of place, social media, public space socio-spatial planning, participation, social sustainability, cultural sustainability.  This thesis investigates digital sense of place and social and cultural sustainability issues in the establishment of Rågsved nature reserve and the subsequent demolishment of (parts of) Snösätra Graffiti Wall of Fame. Drawing on theories of the more or less digital world, the non-representational, the more-than human, and the idea of geolocative social media as participatory public space (in the making), the thesis aim was to investigate how covert netnography/digital ethnography and discourse analysis can help us understand sense of place, and to identify sustainability issues through geotagged user generated data on Instagram. The empirical findings reveal conflicting community sense of place, assembled through complex entanglements between algorithms, physical structures/landscape, language, and sensory embodiments, which were simultaneously digital and non-digital. There were indications that the flows of posts geotagged on Instagram functioned as ‘claimed’ participatory public space, where stakeholder communities discussed place outside of dominant political imaginations. In addition, the posts indicated social and cultural sustainability issues. The main conclusion is that this type of discourse analysis of social media has the potential for functioning as a ‘passive’ participation strategy, and for creating deliberative discussions with stakeholder communities based on an understanding of place as they experience it.

Rural-urban migration has been increasing and is commonly seen in northern cities of Mexico.  Indigenous students do not always have opportunities to receive higher education in their communities, and therefore migrate to urban areas. After migrating they can face certain challenges navigating the urban lifestyle. With the help of the translocality concept, this study employed a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to explore the reason behind five indigenous students' migration and their experiences of different translocal circumstances. The results and analysis indicated that the students had both similar and different experiences in the various translocal arenas. The analysis showed the reasons behind the students’ migration were often linked to educational opportunities, but they also expressed different aspirations and plans for the future Further, adjusting to their new city environment proved to be challenging. They experienced both a negative and positive sense of place in Monterrey, but Mision del Nayar, the university and other indigenous students helped them feel a sense of belonging. The experiences the students had in the different translocal arenas shaped their narrative, and hence, impacted their sense of place and sense of belonging. Lastly, the students experienced translocal identities on a daily basis. / Migration från landsbygd till städer har ökat och har blivit vanligare i norra städer i Mexiko. Studenter från ursprungsbefolkningar har inte alltid tillgång till högre utbildning i sina samhällen och migrerar därför till stadsområden. Efter migrationen kan de genomgå vissa utmaningar med att navigera sig i den urbana livsstilen. Med hjälp av translokalitetskonceptet tillämpade denna studie ett frågeformulär och semistrukturerade intervjuer för att undersöka orsakerna till fem inhemska studenters migration och deras erfarenheter av olika translokala omständigheter. Resultatet och analysen tydde på att studenterna hade både liknande och olika upplevelser i de olika translokala arenorna. Analysen visade att anledningarna till studenternas migration ofta var kopplade till utbildningsmöjligheter, men de uttryckte också olika ambitioner och planer inför framtiden. Vidare visade sig anpassningen till deras nya stadsmiljö vara utmanande. De upplevde både en negativ och positiv känsla av plats i Monterrey, men Mision del Nayar, universitetet och andra inhemska studenter hjälpte dem också att känna tillhörighet. De erfarenheter som studenterna hade av de olika translokala arenorna formade deras berättelse och påverkade därmed deras känsla av plats och känsla av tillhörighet. Avslutningsvis påvisade studien att studenterna dagligen upplevde translokala identiteter.