CHAIR OF ARCHITECTURE
AND URBAN DESIGN —
PROF. KEES CHRISTIAANSE

RESEARCH

GUIDE TO OPEN PLACES

The Guide to Open Places deals with open, adaptable structures of the city – so-called ‘open places’. It is based on a research and exhibition project for the IABR 2009 Open City. 

An Open Place describes a certain spatial situation in the city. It offers possibilities and opportunities, thus space for various actions and people. The potentials of each place are recognized and taken advantage of by the users. Only through their interactions the place becomes alive and its openness a quality. Hence open spaces have a spatial, atmospheric, and political dimension and are socially constituted as well.

Open Places have two very decisive characteristics: openness and stability. They may therefore be described as dynamic-stable structures. This interplay makes these places so interesting as well as valuable. They are a platform for exchange and coexistence and contribute to the productivity, cultural complexity and diversity of the city.

The quality of Open Places is engendered through an interaction of different parameters and components. The places are the spatial manifestation of their respective qualities, which can be seen and understood relative to their context. Within the framework of the project, 140 places were gathered and analyzed worldwide.

researcher: Dr. Martina Baum

link: Guide to Open Places