The City as a Spatial and Functional Structure and as a Place Having Subjective Meanings

• Authors: Alan Mandal
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Nowadays, the issue of cities and their functions is an important topic in urban studies in geography, architecture, sociology, and, psychology. The social perception and the interpretation of material forms is what the city is for people, and what function it fulfi ls for them is particularly important. The aim of this study was to investigate the subjective perception of the city’s functions for the people living there. The article conducted research on a group of 228 subjects. The study qualitatively analysed the respondents’ free expressions. The results showed that the city is frequently seen as a learning and work center, a place for meetings, entertainment, cultural events, and as a place of residence. The city also has many psychological functions related to a person’s identity, sense of attachment, the home, the little country, development, being brought up as a child, growing up, and going into society. Some respondents pointed to the city’s negative functions or to its lack of them. Women more often than men perceived the city as a place of rest and recreation, to learnand work, to development oneself, or to socialize, while men more often perceived it as without any functions or a negative place.

Keywords

EN

City; urban studies; urban geography; psychology of place

• Publisher: University of Wrocław, Institute of Psychology and Oficyna Wydawnicza ATUT - Wrocławskie Wydawnictwo Oświatowe
• Journal: Polish Journal of Applied Psychology
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 11
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 105-119

Contributors

author

Alan Mandal

• Department of Economic Geography, Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia, Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland