Search results

1 – 10 of over 1000
Article
Publication date: 11 June 2019

Kayoumars Irandoost, Milad Doostvandi, Todd Litman and Mohammad Azami

This paper aims to present a critical analysis of placemaking by the urban poor based on the Right to the City, Henri Lefebvre’s influential theory regarding the production of…

387

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a critical analysis of placemaking by the urban poor based on the Right to the City, Henri Lefebvre’s influential theory regarding the production of space and placemaking.

Design/methodology/approach

This study reflects Lefebvre’s production of space and the right to the city theories and containing three main pillars including holism, the urban and praxis, and the use of spatial dialectics. Also, for collecting information in this research, along with scrutiny of documents and books, residents of the poor settlements of Sanandaj have also been interviewed.

Findings

In Sanandaj, urban poor who lack formal housing reclaim the Right to City by creating informal settlements. Such settlements, such as Shohada, Baharmast and Tagh Taghan, cover 23% of the city’s area but house 69% of the urban population.

Originality/value

This research seeks to understand placemaking in urban slums by low-income inhabitants using Henry Lefebvre’s critical theory of social production of space and the Right to the City. This case study examines the city of Sanandaj, Iran, where most residents are poor and live in cooperative informal settlements. It illustrates how the urban poor, as marginalized inhabitants, overcome the constraints of conventional planning and property ownership to creatively and cooperatively develop communities that reflect their needs. This indicates a schism between formal and informal sectors.

Details

Journal of Place Management and Development, vol. 12 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8335

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2007

Ceri Watkins

The aim of this paper is to consider managers' and society's approaches to organisational performance.

2092

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to consider managers' and society's approaches to organisational performance.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper utilizes an approach informed by Lefebvre's theory of space, and presents a Lefebvrian analysis of organisational performance.

Findings

The analysis in this paper identifies a number of problematic issues within current considerations of organisational performance. The paper makes transparent the domination of the abstract representations of performance, while facilitating an engagement with the aspects of performance this domination neglects. It suggests that through neglecting the everyday lived aspects of performance, in their obsession with abstract “representations of performance”, managers make decisions without a sufficiently clear concept of the effect of those decisions on the organisation.

Research limitations/implications

As an introduction in this paper, to Lefebvrian spatial analysis in the field of organisational performance, the depth of the analysis is rather constrained.

Practical implications

In highlighting the relative neglect of the role of evolved social conventions of tolerable behaviour, or the physical lived experience of the everyday interactions of the workforce in considerations of organisational performance, the paper suggests managers run the risk of their decisions being ineffective. In light of this suggestion, a number of potential areas where Lefebvre's theory may be beneficial in the study and management of organisations are identified.

Originality/value

The paper introduces a Lefebvrian spatial analysis to the field of organisational performance and provides readers with an alternative approach to the study and management of performance in organisations.

Details

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, vol. 56 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1741-0401

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 18 April 2023

Bernadette Nooij, Claire van Teunenbroek, Christine Teelken and Marcel Veenswijk

The purpose of this study is to apply spatial theory to a review of the literature on activity-based working in higher education. Globally, the office concept of activity-based…

1262

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to apply spatial theory to a review of the literature on activity-based working in higher education. Globally, the office concept of activity-based working (ABW) is increasingly implemented in higher education, and scholars contributed to developing empirical explanations of the effects of implementing ABW in higher education. However, the focus on theory building is limited, decreasing the predictability and the understanding of implementing ABW.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors developed a theoretical framework by categorizing the empirical findings of earlier accounts by integrating them with Lefebvre’s spatial theory. They conducted a systematic literature review of 21 studies published between 2008 and 2022 that reported on the phenomenon of ABW among higher-education employees.

Findings

It remains to be seen whether the implementation of the ABW in higher education is successful in terms of pre-defined goals. The studies investigating academic workplace concepts have led to inconsistent findings that lack an underlying framework. As the ABW concept fails to adequately support academics’ work processes, it is recommended that managers and architects consider their subjective perspectives about the use of space and take the time to understand the users’ fundamental values.

Originality/value

The authors integrated the selected studies with Lefebvre’s spatial theory, and this model includes three perspectives that can explain workers' experiences with ABW. This theoretical framework can assist researchers in gaining a deeper understanding of ABW and support practitioners in implementing it in higher education.

Details

Facilities , vol. 41 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 July 2015

Wladimir Sgibnev

The purpose of this paper is to identify, describe and critically assess public space in the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan, recurring to Henri Lefebvre’s concept of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify, describe and critically assess public space in the Central Asian republic of Tajikistan, recurring to Henri Lefebvre’s concept of rhythmanalysis.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The empirical findings are based on ethnographic fieldwork on a courtyard in a housing estate in Khujand in northern Tajikistan.

Findings

The paper argues that an analytic dichotomy between the private and the public realm conceals more than it reveals, for the Central Asian case at least. The rhythmanalysis framework is presented as a possible solution to the deficiencies of dichotomic categories.

Originality/value

Even if we find a series of scholarly works dealing with (post-)Soviet and/or Central Asian public spaces, they very scarcely provide a critical assessment of the roots and the usefulness of this concept for the regional setting they work in. The paper strives to close this gap and to present Henri Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis framework as a possible solution for overcoming dichotomic categories.

Details

International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 35 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-333X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 November 2020

Gabrielle Durepos, Terrance Weatherbee and Albert J. Mills

This paper features a critique of the treatment of time in modern and postmodern historical organization studies. The authors reply to the critique by drawing on Lefebvre’s notion…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper features a critique of the treatment of time in modern and postmodern historical organization studies. The authors reply to the critique by drawing on Lefebvre’s notion of rhythm to theorize time in an amodern condition. The purpose of this study is to call on historical organization studies scholars to theoretically engage with time.

Design/methodology/approach

After a pointed literature review of the treatment of time in modern and postmodern historical organization studies, an ANTi-History approach to time is developed through an exploration of how rhythm can inform key ANTi-History facets.

Findings

New insights on key ANTi-History facets are developed in relation to time. These include seeing the past as history through rhythmic actor-networks, a description of relationalism informed by situated rhythms, a suggestion that the performative aspect of history is rhythmic and an illustration of what one might see if they watched an amodern historian at work.

Originality/value

Lefebvre’s concept of rhythm has been largely neglected in historiography and historical organization studies. Rhythm offers a way to understand time in relation to situated actor practices as opposed to the universal clock or chronological time.

Details

Journal of Management History, vol. 27 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1348

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 February 2022

Sarah Aboualy, Yasser Mansour and Sherif El-Fiki

The paper aims to study the applicability of Lefebvre's everyday life theory “production of space” in Sheraton's in-between spaces upon local residents' daily practices. Space as…

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to study the applicability of Lefebvre's everyday life theory “production of space” in Sheraton's in-between spaces upon local residents' daily practices. Space as Lefebvre said is a result and cause, product and producer. Sheraton District, Cairo comprises lots of underutilized spaces between buildings. The in-between spaces have great potentials for accommodating diverse activities. The present study addresses the phenomenon of in-between spaces in this district. It is argued that in-between spaces can be developed to realize better functional and symbolic values, as the users attach special meanings based on users' everyday living.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts a qualitative approach to investigate the above relationship on the mentioned district. The study devises direct observation to investigate people's behavioral patterns in such appropriated areas to analyze them in the light of preceding literature.

Findings

The study concludes that people's everyday practices could re-invent the in-between spaces by realizing new functions and meanings in dynamic and creative ways. That experience can apply to other underutilized spaces in the district and the city toward improving the built environment and the quality of residents' life.

Research limitations/implications

Finally, it is important to note that the findings of the study are limited to the studied context. Undertaking similar studies to other in-between spaces in Cairo, in other Egyptian cities or other countries may yield different findings. It may be equally interesting to study the means of adaptation in other underutilized urban spaces, such as those found underneath bridges, underneath buildings and on the rooftops.

Originality/value

The main aim of the present study is to examine the impact of everyday practices on the appropriation of a transformed in-between space in the aforementioned district, and the extent to which that may improve in-between spaces' role toward the local community, in order to promote such approach for developing many underutilized in-between spaces in the area. Toward realizing this goal, the study begins with a theoretical background about everyday life. Then, the paper addresses the theory of space appropriation. The outcome is then empirically investigated in relation to one transformed in-between space in Sheraton District, Cairo.

Details

Open House International, vol. 48 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0168-2601

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 8 May 2017

Arja Ropo and Ritva Höykinpuro

The purpose of this paper is to explore the narrative nature of organizational spaces and how these narratives influence human action. The study introduces a notion of “narrating…

1035

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the narrative nature of organizational spaces and how these narratives influence human action. The study introduces a notion of “narrating space” that emphasizes a narrative construction of space that is dynamic and performative. The study joins the recent material and spatial turn in organization studies where spaces are not considered merely as a container or a context to organizational action, but as a dynamic and active force.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on the triadic conception of space of Henry Lefebvre (1991). Lefebvre developed three interconnected dimensions of space: conceived, perceived and lived space. Space can be conceived as an abstract architectural plan or perceived through the practice of space. The dimension that integrates these two is the lived space. Spaces are experienced through emotions, imagination and embodied sensations. Instead of being a passive object, spaces become active and performative through the human engagement. They carry narratives that change their form as time passes by. The study embraces aesthetic, embodied epistemology where sensuous perceptions are considered as valid knowledge.

Findings

The study applies an aesthetic and dynamic approach to space and illustrates how spaces carry performative and processual narratives. These narratives are based on lived experience through personal, embodied experience, memories and sensuous perceptions. The illustrations also show that narratives change over time.

Research limitations/implications

A narrating space concept is characterized by being subjective, dynamic and temporal. Furthermore, it is pointed out that space is constructed through sense-based experiences. A metaphor of an amoeba is offered to depict the nature of the phenomenon. The amoeba metaphor points out that space narratives are dynamic and changing. The study adds to a better awareness of space as a sensuous narrative. Beyond being an isolated personal experience, the study and the illustrations enhance a material view to organizational narratives.

Practical implications

The study suggests that managers, architects and designers should take notice of spaces as narratives that involve temporal and sensuous experiences when planning and (re)designing work environments. Due to the subjective and temporal nature of organizational spaces they are manageable only to a limited extent. Therefore, to appreciate an active narrating nature of organizational spaces, employee involvement in planning and (re)designing spaces is encouraged.

Originality/value

First, the paper enhances the awareness of organizational spaces as sensuous narratives. Second, it adds a material aspect to narratives. Third, it advances an aesthetic and embodied approach to narrative organization research.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 October 2011

Alison Hirst

The purpose of this paper is to provide a sociological analysis of emergent sociospatial structures in a hot‐desking office environment, where space is used exchangeably. It…

5875

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a sociological analysis of emergent sociospatial structures in a hot‐desking office environment, where space is used exchangeably. It considers hot‐desking as part of broader societal shifts in the ownership of space.

Design/methodology/approach

This analysis is based on an ethnographically‐oriented investigation, in which data collection methods used were participant‐observation and interviewing. The analysis uses Lefebvre's conceptualisation of the social production of space and draws on the urban sociology literature.

Findings

The analysis first indicates that, in hot‐desking environments, there may be an emergent social structure distinguishing employees who settle in one place, and others who have to move constantly. Second, the practice of movement itself generates additional work and a sense of marginalisation for hot‐deskers.

Research limitations/implications

The paper does not provide a generalisable theory, but suggests that loss of everyday ownership of the workspace gives rise to particular practical and social tensions and shifts hot‐deskers' identification with the organisation.

Practical implications

Official requirements for mobility may result in a new social structure distinguishing settlers and hot‐deskers, rather than mobility being spread evenly.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the literature on organisational spatiality by focusing on the spatial practices entailed in hot‐desking, and by contextualising hot‐desking within the wider spatial configuration of capitalism, in which space is used exchangeability in order to realise greater economic returns. Rather than using the popular “nomadic” metaphor to understand the experience of mobility at work, it uses a metaphor of vagrancy to highlight consequences of the loss of ownership of space.

Details

Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 24 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0953-4814

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2005

Timothy S. O'Connell, Tom G. Potter, Lesley P. Curthoys, Janet E. Dyment and Brent Cuthbertson

The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between sustainability education and outdoor education and to encourage outdoor recreation educators to evaluate their programs…

3656

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between sustainability education and outdoor education and to encourage outdoor recreation educators to evaluate their programs with regard to sustainability and sustainable living.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper starts by presenting several factors that currently hinder the delivery of sustainability education in outdoor recreation training programs. It then turns to a presentation of Lefebvre's sustainability education framework, which offers a helpful structure for integrating sustainability education into outdoor recreation academic curricula.

Findings

Although there are programs that have successfully implemented sustainability training into their curricula, there are many factors that serve to hinder the education of outdoor recreation students in the philosophy and techniques of sustainability and sustainable living. No doubt these impediments pose critical challenges to those offering academic training programs. These challenges must be identified, met and overcome if the profession is to contribute, as it should, not only to local, national and global sustainable outdoor recreation, but also to sustainable living in general.

Originality/value

It is hoped that this paper will encourage educators of post‐secondary outdoor recreation to better equip their students to introduce and teach others with respect to sustainable living values and practices.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 6 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 March 2022

Ahmed O. El-Kholei

From scholars' view, there are various research approaches to investigate the city and its spaces. However, there is a need to examine the city and its spaces from the residents'…

Abstract

Purpose

From scholars' view, there are various research approaches to investigate the city and its spaces. However, there is a need to examine the city and its spaces from the residents' perspective. Hermeneutic phenomenology might be applicable and valuable. Also, communication is a requirement for successful participatory planning and spatial analysis. Architects, urban designers and landscape architects must possess intersubjective competencies to communicate and engage with the public. Hermeneutic knowledge is the source for developing these intersubjective capabilities essential for communication. All design preparation and execution steps require distorted-free communication, starting with defining a problem and ending with implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper aims to test the applicability of hermeneutic phenomenology in urban studies. The author examines the right to the city and producing space in Cairo, Egypt. Besides web pages, documents and social networks, data sources vary, including proverbs and poems. Semiotics is the qualitative research technique used to interrogate the collected material using qualitative data analysis software.

Findings

Cairo's growth is the outcome of the division of labor, administration and power dynamics. Egyptians' right to take part in Cairo's planning and management is the issue. Hermeneutic phenomenology is an approach to perform spatial environmental investigations. It could inform decision-making, ensure the planning process's validity and guarantee people's ownership of planned projects.

Originality/value

Phenomenology allows for inside and outside the understanding of a spatial phenomenon. The current focus of architectural and planning schools' curricula is on technical actions. These schools consider increasing the dose of social sciences in their curricula. Educators could teach students how to use hermeneutic phenomenological research methodologies. Using hermeneutic knowledge in communication encourages public engagement in formulating and implementing projects, thus ensuring their long-term viability.

Details

Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2631-6862

Keywords

1 – 10 of over 1000