Placemaking in the 21st-century city: introducing the funfair metaphor for mobile media in the future urban space

TLDR

Good public spaces are essential for sustainable, healthy cities because they provide places for leisure and foster interpersonal relationships. The article explores how location‑based social networks can support placemaking by inspiring and enabling the use of public space to build community and belonging. Drawing on studies of Fuxing Park in Shanghai and Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, the authors propose design suggestions for location‑based social networks using a funfair metaphor to create vivid, vibrant public spaces. The study identifies key characteristics that should guide the design of location‑based social networks for effective placemaking.

Abstract

Good public spaces are essential for a sustainable and healthy city as they not only provide a meaningful place for citizens to meet and spend their leisure time, but they also enable and support relationships between people within that place. This article discusses the prospect for location-based social networks to support placemaking, that is, to inspire and enable the use of public space to foster a strong sense of community and feelings of belonging among citizens. This discussion draws on studies of two public parks that serve as important community spaces, one for seniors in Fuxing Park in Shanghai and the other for teenagers in Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. Based on the collected data, we present valuable characteristics to be considered in the design of location-based social networks for placemaking. To support the creation of vivid and vibrant public spaces, we propose design suggestions based on a funfair metaphor.