La flexibilité dans l'aménagement des places publiques face auc changements des temporalités urbaines

Abstract

In a context of rapidity and competitiveness supported by technological development, cities are obliged to change and follow the requirements of the time. These changes affect the urban temporalities and involve changes in the use of public spaces and particularly of public squares. In fact, these spaces host in different temporalities a variety of users whose expectations are varied and changing. These spaces can be overused or underused at different times of the day. They support different uses that may be temporary, virtual and/or conflictual. Thus, the challenge for cities is to ensure the adaptation of these spaces to changes of use while meeting the changing expectations of users and the variety of uses. Several cities have become aware of the importance of adaptation. They have implemented less rigid measures to develop these spaces. The city of Algiers cannot be immune to changes in urban temporalities and uses of public squares. Its development strategy to 2030, which aims to make it competitive, reflects the desire to make changes, particularly in the development of public squares. This research issue aims to explore the means introduced in developing public squares to meet the challenges of adaptation to changes in urban temporalities. These means will be deepened and verified in the case of the public squares of Algiers. The objective of this research is to support a less rigid approach to developing public squares, based on the concept of flexibility of use. This concept represents the ability of the system of the square to adapt or to cope with changes. It also provides the opportunity to ensure a variety of uses and users in different urban temporalities. The method proposed to explore the potential of flexibility of public squares is based first of all on the analysis of uses and expectations of users in public squares considering the different daily temporalities, then of the evaluation of the flexibility of use through a method that combines utility analysis (UA) and the flexibility key performance indicators (FKPI) that is used in assessing the flexibility in buildings. This proposed method aims to evaluate in an objective and subjective way the flexibility of use of public squares. The application of this method in the case studies of Algiers´ public squares shows the aspects that are often neglected or omitted in the development of these spaces. It also demonstrates the importance of considering the potential of the flexibility of public squares and its improvement in order to reconcile different interests and visions in development of public squares. Finally, the case studies also confirm that the proposed method of assessing flexibility can be a decision-making tool for different urban actors interested in developing public squares.