Measuring public spaces quality based on Google Maps users’ comments
Abstract:
The paper presents an approach and results of the analysis of subjective perception of public spaces based on semantic analysis of user’ comments retrieved from Google Maps platform in St. Petersburg for the year of 2019. The heuristic potential of the online data — user-generated comments — to evaluate an offline urban phenomenon such as public spaces is demonstrated. After the semantic typologization of key concepts a set of 5 subjectively significant characteristics of public spaces was obtained: social groups, activities, natural characteristics, mental characteristics, and infrastructure. These characteristics of public spaces correspond to the internationally recognized 4-aspect concept of the “successful” public space by the Project for Public Spaces organization. However the former clarify the latter, what is especially important for the future public spaces studies in Russian cities. The results of comparative analysis of key conceptual characteristics of “bad” and “good” public spaces, open and closed public spaces are presented.
Keywords:
public space, quality of public space, subjective perception, semantic analysis, Project for Public Spaces, Google Maps
