INCLUSION
Park life and neighbourhood inclusion
The long-term observation of a Geneva neighbourhood park reveals how implicit self-governance rules emerge naturally and underpin good neighbourliness.
On afternoons, it’s families who meet in this park in Geneva. | Photo: S. Cattacin, F. Gamba (2024)
“Urban diversity is best managed by creating the conditions for people to orchestrate their own inclusion naturally”, says the sociologist Sandro Cattacin from the University of Geneva. He and the anthropologist Fiorenza Gamba have been seeking to understand “how, in a diverse society, coordination in public spaces is brought about”.
They therefore conducted a long-term study (2019-2022) on a 1,500-square-meter neighbourhood park supervised by the local community and situated in central Geneva where it could be discreetly observed. They discovered a place where the freedom of initiative translates into a responsibility for a shared good.
Their 120 hours of observations revealed the emergence of a natural inclusion process where various social groups took ownership of the park at different times. Children from a nearby creche in the morning, workers eating lunch there at midday, families on afternoons, and young people in the evening. During the pandemic, the park also hosted weddings and funeral services, underscoring its importance as a hub for socialisation.
The neighbourhood park boasts certain characteristics that make it an attractive gathering spot. Its clear lines of visibility create a sense of safety, while its location in a multicultural, working-class area fosters tolerance towards differences. When conflicts arise, they are resolved diplomatically through open communication between those involved, who share the park’s unwritten rules with each other. As Cattacin says, “a city seeking greater social cohesion should encourage the emergence of this type of park”.
