Commercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space

This article focuses on the sensory quality of the urban environment under the influence of retail trade. It proposes a rapprochement between the geography of retail trade and research in the field of ambiances and atmospheres, and outlines three resulting research perspectives for the geography of...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rainer Kazig, Sylvie Laroche
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Société Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of Geography 2024-10-01
Series:Belgeo
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/72522
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850202339688841216
author Rainer Kazig
Sylvie Laroche
author_facet Rainer Kazig
Sylvie Laroche
author_sort Rainer Kazig
collection DOAJ
description This article focuses on the sensory quality of the urban environment under the influence of retail trade. It proposes a rapprochement between the geography of retail trade and research in the field of ambiances and atmospheres, and outlines three resulting research perspectives for the geography of retail trade. The first concerns the material dimension of retail facilities and the contribution of the notion of ambiance to characterising the impact of the material dimension on the qualities of the reception and the uses of public space. The following perspective looks at commercial spaces as objects of ordinary aesthetics. By drawing on the notions of atmosphere and ambiance, it aims to understand how and under what conditions users experience space through aesthetic attention. The third perspective addresses the role of atmospheres in analysing the emergence of a sense of community in commercial spaces.
format Article
id doaj-art-e3ed62540fb84b13992f852c647f144f
institution OA Journals
issn 1377-2368
2294-9135
language English
publishDate 2024-10-01
publisher Société Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of Geography
record_format Article
series Belgeo
spelling doaj-art-e3ed62540fb84b13992f852c647f144f2025-08-20T02:11:47ZengSociété Royale Belge de Géographie and the Belgian National Committee of GeographyBelgeo1377-23682294-91352024-10-01310.4000/12jjxCommercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban spaceRainer KazigSylvie LarocheThis article focuses on the sensory quality of the urban environment under the influence of retail trade. It proposes a rapprochement between the geography of retail trade and research in the field of ambiances and atmospheres, and outlines three resulting research perspectives for the geography of retail trade. The first concerns the material dimension of retail facilities and the contribution of the notion of ambiance to characterising the impact of the material dimension on the qualities of the reception and the uses of public space. The following perspective looks at commercial spaces as objects of ordinary aesthetics. By drawing on the notions of atmosphere and ambiance, it aims to understand how and under what conditions users experience space through aesthetic attention. The third perspective addresses the role of atmospheres in analysing the emergence of a sense of community in commercial spaces.https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/72522ambianceatmospherediffuse materialityeveryday aestheticscommunityurban space
spellingShingle Rainer Kazig
Sylvie Laroche
Commercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space
Belgeo
ambiance
atmosphere
diffuse materiality
everyday aesthetics
community
urban space
title Commercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space
title_full Commercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space
title_fullStr Commercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space
title_full_unstemmed Commercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space
title_short Commercial ambiances and atmospheres. Explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space
title_sort commercial ambiances and atmospheres explorations of the sensory dimension of retail in urban space
topic ambiance
atmosphere
diffuse materiality
everyday aesthetics
community
urban space
url https://journals.openedition.org/belgeo/72522
work_keys_str_mv AT rainerkazig commercialambiancesandatmospheresexplorationsofthesensorydimensionofretailinurbanspace
AT sylvielaroche commercialambiancesandatmospheresexplorationsofthesensorydimensionofretailinurbanspace