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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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Towards independent use of shared spaces: A practice-oriented approach to enabling independent meeting practices at Kalasatama Urban Lab for more efficient resource consumption

Author

Term

4. Term

Publication year

2019

Submitted on

Abstract

Klimaforandringer kræver hurtige ændringer i vores måde at forbruge, arbejde og leve på. Da urbaniseringen fortsætter, spiller byer en nøglerolle i at drive bæredygtig udvikling. Deling af ressourcer kan tilbyde en mere bæredygtig og fleksibel hverdag. Denne afhandling undersøger brugerne af Kalasatama Urban Lab, et fællesrum i Kalasatama smart district i Helsinki, Finland, som brugerne selv kan booke og anvende uden løbende støtte på stedet. Formålet er at forstå, hvordan brugere selvstændigt booker og bruger et fællesrum, og at besvare: Hvordan kan udbydere af fællesrum i byområder muliggøre selvstændig brug og sikre, at mødepraksisser kan udvikles og gentages over tid? Metodisk kombineres observationer og interviews med social praksisteori som analytisk ramme til at forstå rutiner, materialer og kompetencer i praksis. Værktøjer fra menneskecentreret design supplerer analysen ved at muliggøre tæt interaktion med brugerne og nedbryde mødepraksisser i konkrete trin. En kortlægning af brugerrejsen blev anvendt til at strukturere og analysere forløbet fra booking til brug. En hovedkonklusion er, at udbydere ikke bør antage, at alle møder organiseres ens. For at selvstændig mødepraksis ikke skal blive opgivet over tid, skal hele kæden fra at finde og booke rummet til at få adgang, gennemføre mødet og afslutte forløbet fungere. Det har konsekvenser for både det fysiske rum og den digitale bookingsplatform, der understøtter delte rum til selvstændig brug. Ved at støtte mødearrangørers kompetencer, for eksempel gennem klare informationer og passende værktøjer, kan udbydere fremme mere effektiv ressourceanvendelse i byområder.

Climate change demands rapid shifts in how we consume, work, and live. As urbanization accelerates, cities are central to driving sustainable development. Sharing resources can offer a more sustainable and flexible everyday life. This thesis focuses on users of the Kalasatama Urban Lab, a shared space in the Kalasatama smart district in Helsinki, Finland, that people can book and use independently. The aim is to understand how users self-book and use a shared space, and to answer: How can providers of shared spaces in urban areas enable independent use and ensure that meeting practices can be developed and reproduced over time? The study combines observations and interviews with social practice theory as an analytical lens to examine routines, materials, and competences in practice. Tools from human-centred design complement the analysis by enabling close interaction with users and breaking down meeting practices into concrete steps. A user journey map was used to structure and analyse the path from booking to use. A key finding is that providers should not assume all meetings are organised in the same way. To prevent independent meeting practices from being abandoned over time, the entire chain—from finding and booking the space to accessing it, holding the meeting, and finishing—must work. This has implications for both the physical space and the digital booking platform that supports shared spaces for independent use. By supporting meeting organisers’ competences, for example through clear information and appropriate tools, providers can enable more efficient resource use in urban areas.

[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]