The temporality of territorial production – the case of Stortorget, Malmö

Abstract

In recent years, we have seen the development of a more relational approach to territoriality. This perspective, which focuses on events rather than space, also opens up for an elaboration of temporal aspects of territorial production. In this study, I investigate the central urban square, Stortorget, in Malmö, Sweden, in order to develop a discussion of a time–space territorology. In 1978, Korosec-Serfaty performed a thorough study of the square, observing its everyday activities. The present study compares territorial productions at Malmö’s Main Square during 1978 with those of 2013. The results of the study indicate a change of time–space production in which temporary territorial appropriations and tactics tend to become shorter in duration, whereas the number of temporary and large-scale territorial strategies has increased and the role of these become more important. The study also shows how these territorial transformations include changes (in pace, rhythm, temporal salience and scale) that seem to vertically stabilise the territorial structure of the square, and thus decrease both territorial complexity and the possibilities for new publics to evolve.

Résumé

Ces dernières années, nous avons vu le développement d’une approche plus relationnelle de la territorialité. Cette perspective, qui se concentre sur les événements plutôt que l’espace, s’ouvre aussi à une élaboration des aspects temporels de la production de territoire. Dans ce travail de recherche, j’examine la place de Stortorget au centre urbain de Malmö en Suède, afin de développer une discussion de la territorologie de l’espace-temps. En 1978, Korosec-Serfaty a effectué une étude approfondie de cette place, en observant ses activités quotidiennes. L’étude actuelle compare les productions territoriales de la place principale de Malmö en 1978 à celles de 2013. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent un changement de la production espace-temps dans laquelle les appropriations territoriales temporaires et les tactiques ont tendance à raccourcir en durée, tandis que le nombre de stratégies territoriales temporaires et à grande échelle a augmenté et leur rôle est devenu plus important. Cette étude montre aussi comment ces transformations territoriales comportent des changements (en cadence, rythme, prépondérance temporelle et ampleur) qui semblent stabiliser verticalement la structure territoriale de la place et ainsi, réduire à la fois la complexité territoriale et les possibilités d’évolution pour de nouveaux publics.

Resumen

En los últimos años, se ha visto el desarrollo de un enfoque más relacional a la territorialidad. Esta perspectiva, que se centra en acontecimientos en vez de en el espacio, también abre las puertas a una elaboración de los aspectos temporales de la producción territorial. En este estudio, se investiga la plaza central urbana, Stortorget, en Malmö, Suecia, con el fin de desarrollar una discusión de una territorología (territorology) espacio-temporal. En 1978, Korosec-Serfaty realizó un estudio a fondo de la plaza, observando sus actividades cotidianas. El presente estudio compara las producciones territoriales en la plaza principal de Malmö durante el año 1978 con las del año 2013. Los resultados del estudio indican un cambio de la producción espacio-temporal en el que las apropiaciones y tácticas territoriales y temporales tienden a ser de menor duración, mientras que el número de estrategias temporales y territoriales a gran escala ha aumentado y el papel de éstas se ha hecho más importante. El estudio también muestra cómo estas transformaciones territoriales incluyen cambios (en velocidad, ritmo, prominencia y escala temporales) que parecen estabilizar verticalmente la estructura territorial de la plaza, y así disminuyen tanto la complejidad territorial y las posibilidades de nuevos públicos de evolucionar.

Keywords:

• Territorology
• time–space
• public space
• materiality
• temporality
• actor–network theory

Mots clés:

• territorologie
• espace-temps
• espace public
• matérialité
• temporalité
• théorie de l’acteur réseau

Palabras clave:

• territorología (territorology)
• tiempo-espacio
• espacio público
• materialidad
• temporalidad
• teoría del actor-red

Acknowledgements

This study was carried out within the research projects ‘Chronotope: Time-Space Planning for Resilient Cities’ (2010-119) and ‘Architecture in Effect’ (2011-74), both funded by the Swedish Research Council Formas.

Notes

1. This relational approach to territoriality is of course related to a more general development of relational space by, for example, Law (2002), Massey (2005) and many others. For an introduction of this, see Murdoch (2006, pp. 1–25).

2. It should perhaps be noted that the study of 1978 was more comprehensive and also included, for example, route mapping, historical studies and interviews. A more detailed report (but just) of the data results from the empirical investigation in 2013 can be found in Kärrholm (2015).

3. Due to lack of resources, it was not possible to do the current study during one week, as Korosec-Serfaty did, but the empirical studies were spread over several weeks. With the exception of three observation hours, which were made during two sunny days in April 29 and 30, the study was conducted in June and August. July was excluded from the study, as it is the month during which Swedes typically go on holiday. Peak hours studied were set to 12–13 on weekdays and 12–14 on weekends (cf. Korosec-Serfaty, 1982, p. 52). Observers, beside myself, were Axel Kärrholm, Gustav Kärrholm and Irma Schlaucher Ståhl.

4. The age categories used were: children (0–12), adolescent (12–18), young adults (18–45), middle aged (45–65) and old (65+). Categories are from Korosec-Serfaty (1982, p. 55).

5. I here distinguish between actor and actant in Latourian/Greimasian sense, where the actant a kind, or type, of actor (see Latour, 2005, p. 71). In the dictionary Semiotics and Language (1982), Greimas and Courtes quote French linguist Lucien Tesnière, from whom they have borrowed the term ‘actants are beings or things that participate in processes in any form whatsoever’ (Tesnière in Greimas & Courtes, 1982, p. 5). Actant is furthermore described by Greimas and Courtes as a syntactic unit that precedes any ideological or semantic investment (Greimas & Courtés, 1982, pp. 5–7).

6. Schatzki, coming from a phenomenological perspective seems to prefer timespace before time space (used in this article).

7. However, time-geography was already used in the 1970s as a way of investigating the constraints of strategic time–space territories.

8. It is true that the ratio of elderly has also decreased in Malmö as a whole during these decades. The ratio of people of 65 years and older in the municipality has decreased from 18% in 1978 to 15% in 2013, but this difference is still too small to explain the change on the square.

9. See, for example, Bissell (2009) and Bishop (2013) for a discussion of some recent changes in waiting behaviour in relation to the consumer society.

10. For further discussion, one could also extend the question of scale ‘downwards’, to further investigate the territorialising role of ready-made artefacts, and ‘upwards’, to discuss Stortorget’s changing role in a growing and central retail area (the pedestrian precinct), as well as its role within the urban landscape and region of Öresund.