We have “Public Spirits” the type of people who get involved in the “sharing economy”. They love being in public, whatever the weather or activity, which is great for public spaces that are not used by others so much. They use public spaces much of the time and as their name implies, are very public spirited. They may go as far to intervene if they witness anti-social behaviour. Those with less money are more likely to take part in free activities or they may more affluent are looking to escape commercial spaces. Ideas to help them include a map to signal to them where anti social behaviour is taking place through to a popup bench that different people can customise based on their needs.
Groups similar to public spirits are “Hoodsters“, but whom prefer to stay in their own neighbourhood more than going anywhere else. They do enjoy using the public spaces in their local area — including shopping centres, religious centres and parks, so much they are prepared to defend them if they’re under threat. They are likely to be on lower incomes, and many are mothers with young children. Ideas to help them include power saving lamp posts so they can get home safely to an idea where people could download “I wish we could” stickers to identify their dreams for change in the public spaces.
Other people who only feel safe in particular areas are “Brand Addicts“, who prefer to use chain restaurants, cinemas and theme bars. They need to be familiar with how these places work and to give them social status. However, because of their highly structured lives, they’re only likely to use these places at particular times, making them feel empty at other times of the day. Some people are forced to use public spaces in this way, because those are the only venues they can physically access. Ideas to help them include interactive touchscreen signboards to show them other places they could go to a shop where people can swop designer clothes for community activities.
People who also use chain stores are “Mall Walkers” who go to these spaces to fight boredom and self-esteem. They are often elderly, young mothers and unemployed and often travel in groups. They’ll use shopping malls to catch up with friends and because they can use the toilets and they don’t need to interact with people they don’t want to, unlike if they were in a park or library. Ideas to help them include adigital map to show where the nearest locally-produced food places are, so they can venture beyond the supermarket, to an app to sharestories of spaces off the beaten path.
Finally, there are people who don’t feel comfortable in any public spaces, called “Home Birds”. They only feel in the comfort of their own home or at best, those of the people they know. Many “home birds” are older men, but there are others who don’t want to be confined to their homes but don’t feel secure in public spaces. This includes an app to match people who are house-bound and people who want to help to a coach to help people take forward their projects.
