The Un-Sociable Bench, and other urban micro-territories of encounter and intimidation.

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This research looks at how small locations in urban neighbourhoods can become points of exclusion and disconnection or, conversely, of sociability and belonging. Our focus is on places where people often 'hang out', often unglamorous micro-places characterised by a bench, a low wall, a nearby takeaway or a park entrance. The people for whom the outside is a place to pass time are commonly 'outsiders' in different sense: individuals and groups who may not be able or want to stay at home or at workplaces, and can't financially afford to spend time in more convivial or protected leisure environments. The aim of the research is to investigate the stories, memories and practices of people in using these places and to explore how the physical environment becomes a site of social interaction. The project will address how different dimensions of identity (race, class, gender, age) inform these encounters. Though the urban bench may occupy a nostalgic position in conceptions of neighbourliness, this research will also investigate aspects of inequality, conflict and control. In particular, we note increasing concern about gathering in public places (such as use of dispersal orders) and how places are often sanitised, including the removal of benches, with the aim of deterring longer-stay use of the public realm. The research will explore how casting certain groups of public space users as problematic (for example, young people) is at odds with public policy on mental, physical and social wellbeing which emphasises multiple benefits to being outdoors and participating in social contexts.The research sits within the AHRC Connected Communities programme. It is conducted in two different London neighbourhoods, working with community organisations as Co-Investigators. The primary method will be the making of a high quality film, a fact-fiction hybrid approach to documentary in which the filmmaker collaborates with participants to generate creative material, drawing on their own memories, stories and values. The starting point will be the choice of a bench within each neighbourhood, the participants generating ideas about mini-stories from the point of view of the bench and its experiences over time. A ten minute film will be produced, accompanied by a booklet with the research findings and process. The film will be shown locally, will be the focus of a stakeholder workshop, and also be widely distributed within academic, policy and community contexts. The film will inform research data through the gathering and interaction of personal stories, the development of the film narrative itself, and its potential to prompt responses from people in different positions and with varied areas of expertise.The research will be of benefit to academics researching social use of urban places (especially in diverse or disadvantaged contexts) and those whose agenda also includes place change either through design/regeneration (architecture, landscape architecture, planning) or through policy. Policy impacts include influencing agendas regarding public health, social inclusion, intercultural integration, supporting participation of elderly and young residents, and addressing hate crime and harassment.