Difference in the City: Locating Marginal Use of Public Space

Abstract

The following chapter arises out of work on the ESRC-sponsored research project ‘The Public Sense of Well-being — A Taxonomy of Publics and Space’ based in the Sociology Department of Salford University. Our research is concerned with constructing what we have called a ‘grounded exploration of urban use and urban experience in relation to two particular cities in the North of England’ (Evans et al., 1993, p. 3). We have noted that much recent literature on the city has failed to locate differences in urban experience, often presenting a view of the city which is held by a particular person or social group — offering little to our understanding of the inequality and diversity of life in cities. We are also concerned to highlight differences between particular conurbations in terms of their actual patterns of use, being at the same time attentive to any differences in social composition which impact upon this use.