Özet:

This article discusses the concept of “borrowed space” as a mechanism that transforms the urban open spaces into a ‘locus of possibilities’, and within this understanding, it aims to analyse the Vienna City Hall Square (Wiener Rathausplatz) through its identification as a borrowed space that introduces different practices. The original contribution here can be described as this mechanism’s representation as a translation between ‘social processes’ and ‘spatial form’, (the dual components which have been widely recognized in the understanding of complexity of the urban structure) and its utilization as a theoretical framework within the analysis of the Square in question. The concept of publicness frequently reflects its semantic duality (that of belonging to the society yet implying a relationality with state) upon the space, especially upon the ones organized by the state. However, in the cities with an ever-growing density, public spaces actually possess a certain potential of becoming the grounds of counter-resistance against the spatial dissociation. As a matter of fact, in one’s mind, the image of a good city and lively urban public spaces are mostly intertwined. Vienna, as one of the European cities affirming this argument, is best known for its numerous public spaces, squares, parks, and moreover for its urban(ite) culture that integrates these spaces into life effectively. Within this understanding, the Vienna City Hall Square participates to the urbanite’s everyday practices as a dynamic urban public space via the social, political, cultural, artistic, sportive facilities, thus, transcends the institutional and tectonic monumentality of the surrounding neo-classical buildings of City Hall, Parliament, University and Theatre by a new urban / spatial meaning. This meaning produced by the Vienna City Hall Square as a borrowed space stands for an accessibility for all social strata of the society and a strong urban bond with the citizens.

Anahtar Kelimeler: