Representation of Urban Public Spaces in the Mirror of Social Networks: An Analysis from influenceability to Transformation

Jalali, Azadeh; Pourjafar, Mohammadreza; Ranjbar, Ehsan; Kahani, Mohsen

doi:10.48311/udd.2025.24227

Representation of Urban Public Spaces in the Mirror of Social Networks: An Analysis from influenceability to Transformation

Document Type : Original Research

Authors

A. Jalali ¹

M. Pourjafar ¹

E. Ranjbar ²

M. Kahani ³

¹ Department of Urban Design, Faculty of Art & Architecture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

² Assistant Professor, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Art & Architecture, University of Tarbiat Modares, Tehran, Iran

³ Professor, Department of Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Ferdowsi, Mashhad, Iran

https://doi.org/10.48311/udd.2025.24227

Abstract

Objectives:

Urban public spaces, as platforms for social interactions, have significant transformed with the advent of digitalization and the expansion of social networks. These contribute to the formation of multidimensional representations and perceptions of urban spaces, by enabling the sharing of images, videos, and narratives about public spaces. The main challenge lies in addressing these rapid transformations. The purpose of this research is representation and analysis of urban public spaces transformation in social networks.

Methods:

Study was conducted using systematic review. The main question focuses on "what" and description and exploration. The data includes selected scientific articles from the Scopus (2014–2024), and thematic analysis was employed to identify the key components of transformation and representation in social networks.

Findings:

The findings clarify the link between public space transformation and social networks through the lenses of analysis type, data, scale, and typologies. Furthermore, the representation of urban public spaces in social networks is explained through 16 dimensions: enhancing sense of place, local community perception, spatial awareness, the success of spaces, highlighting everyday-life, participation and freedom of expression, reflecting urban events, visual aesthetics, rebranding spaces, diversity, environmental perception, changing mental imagery, presence experience, reinforcing collective memory, and social interactions.

Conclusion:

Social networks, by facilitating visual and textual representations, provide an opportunity to redefine transformations and create a new image of public spaces. User-generated data can assist urban designers in improving management of spaces. To fully exploit these capacities, it’s necessary to balance digital use and preserve the social characteristics of spaces.

Keywords

urban public space

Urban Transformation

Social Networks

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