Public Spaces of Kaunas from the Inter-War Period to Contemporary: Content Analysis

Abstract

This research demonstrates the potential of content analysis method in urban research in the context of the study of modernization of Lithuanian cities during the Soviet period and its influence on contemporary urbanism. The content analysis of visual material (photographs, postcards and other images) is integrated as one of the methods of the study, allowing to identify the social phenomena in public spaces and their changes throughout the period from the inter-war era to contemporary. The descriptive analysis presented in this article demonstrates changes in people and activities, in scale and shape of public spaces, mobility and safety.

Serious Game and Serious Play Concepts in the Content Analysis of Urban Spaces

“…The classification of uses characteristic to sociotope methodology was integrated into developed coding categories; the categories defined within the sociotope methodology were used to identify the types of activities taking place in public spaces. The application of content analysis software allowed generating quantitative results that were applied in the further steps of the study and general qualitative conclusions [16]. However, for the finalization of the research deeper qualitative insights were necessary on how interaction between urban spaces, their users and the activities of these users evolved and changed in the periods under analysis.…”