Social Representations of Urban Environment: New Issues for Environmental Psychology Macaire KOUTABA & Elena SAUTKINA Laboratory of Environmental Psychology University René Descartes – Paris V, France 18th IAPS conference EVALUATION IN PROGRESS July , 2004 Vienna, Austria

Theoretical framework The application of SRT to the Environmental Psychology is a new and fruitful scientific phenomenon Start: the study by S.Milgram and D.Jodelet (1976) on social representations of Paris Abric, Morin (1990): individual plays an active role in the relationship to his / her environment. This role could not be summarized in simple terms of perceptions. People’s spatial behaviour depends on their social representations about this space The city could be seen as a structured system of images, references, attitudes that gives to an individual opportunities to reflex, to estimate and be behave in the urban environment. The representations of the city are influenced by people’s experience of space and by the framework of life that surrounds them.

Two examples: (1)integration of urban populations (2)urban delinquency

Study 1. Objective: To examine the ways in which social representations of the city vary according to residential status and the characteristics of the urban living environment

Subjects 95 male subjects between 25 to 30 years old (average = 28,3) living in the city of Ouagadougou, Bourkina Faso The subjects were distributed according to the investigation plan that crosses residential status (indigenous against migrant) with the type of urbanization (planned against spontaneous)

Methods The Evocation question (Vergès, 1992): "In three to five words, when one says “city”, what do you think about? “ Data treatment : - Prototypicality analysis (Vergès, 1992; 1994; 2000) crosses the frequency and the average rank of the appearance of terms; - Bayesian analysis of the contingency tables (Bernard, 2000): amongst elements retained by the prototypicality analysis, it was determined whether each element was over or under- significantly (p<.05) represented in the subpopulations of investigation

The central elements of the representation of the city: Infrastructures, Density of the population, Electricity, Modernity, Place with problems, Aesthetics, Administration, Agglomeration

Comparison of the central elements of the representation by bayesian analysis:residential status Comparison of the central elements of the representation by bayesian analysis: residential status An over-representation of the elements electricity, modernity and agglomeration among migrants compared to an under- representation of these same elements amongst autochthons. The element electricity previously evoked by all is over- represented amongst migrants

Comparison of the central elements by bayesian analysis: type of urbanization of the inhabited districts The element ‘administration’ is characteristic of the planned districts while in the districts with spontaneous urbanization it is the element ‘place with problems’ which is prevalent. “Electricity” and “place with problems” are over-represented in the spontaneous urbanization and under-represented in the planned urbanization.

Discussion The participants had a representation of the city based on the image of the ideal city mainly made up of modern infrastructures and of particular architectural aesthetics. Next come elements of the social framework related to the population and the social problems. This image of the city is one that is found in the literature. It makes one think of a representation of the city located in the architecture of the social thought at an ideological level. However, in Ouagadougou this ideological representation of the city is modulated by the context, and in particular by residential status and the type of urbanization of the living environment.

Discussion For residential status, it is the aesthetic attributes, the global vision of the city (agglomeration), the access to progress (modernity) and comfort (electricity), and the density of population that differentiate the migrants from autochthons. As for the type of urbanization, emphasis is on access to the public services (administration) and the lived social dimension (place with problems) as differentiating elements in the representation of the city.

Discussion Social and environmental variables affect the ways in which subjects conceive of the city These elements must be taken into account in urban development This study has defined prospects for research regarding the importance of environmental variables (physical) on the transformation of social representations

Social representations of pick-pocketing commitment places Study 2: Social representations of pick-pocketing commitment places Actuality: Environmental psychology lacks research on SR of crime commitment places Theoretical perspectives: - for study of environmental cognition and behaviour - for study of fear of crime - for study of victimization

Pick-pocketing: definitions Non-violent theft of objects from pockets or person of an individual Environmentally determined crime Represented as a minor crime Frequent in cities and difficult to repress

Social representations of pick-pocketing places in Paris and in Moscow Methods: Evocation question (Vergès, 1992): “Which are words or expressions coming up to your mind with the words ‘pick-pocketing places’ ? ” Data treatment: Prototypicality analysis (Vergès, 1992; 1994; 2000) Data processing: EVOC2000 software (Verges, Scano, Junique, 2003).

Social representations of pick-pocketing places in Paris and in Moscow Subjects Paris sample Moscow sample Non-victims Victims4930

Periphery: protective function Zone of potential changes: receiving and passing elements Central core: consolidating, organizing function Social Representation structure (Abric, 1994; Flament, 1994)

Social representations of pick-pocketing places = “Crowded places” stereotype Place in SR structure Paris Non-victims Victims Moscow Non-victims Victims Central core Underground Crowded places Underground Crowded places Market Public transports Crowded places Underground Zone of potential changes Railway station Paris Public placesRailway station Underpass Market Railway station Periphery Public transports Commerces Street Downtown Underpass

Social representations of pick-pocketing places: Images of places Place in SR structure Paris Non-victims Victims Moscow Non-victims Victims Central core Underground Market Zone of potential changes Barbès Suburbs TrolleybusMarket Periphery MarketTramway

Methodological implements of prototypical analysis Gives an opportunity to estimate which elements are more shared by people and more important in a SR Interesting to use when comparing contrasted populations

Social representations of pick-pocketing places: Significance of elements - experience context Place in SR structure Paris Non-victims Victims Moscow Non-victims Victims Central core Tourist places Market Public transports Bus Zone of potential changes SuburbsBus Underpass Commerce Market Public transports Periphery Bus Tourist places SuburbsUnderpass Commerce

Social representations of pick-pocketing places: Significance of elements – cultural context Place in SR structure Non-victims Paris Moscow Victims Paris Moscow Central core Market Zone of potential changes StreetBusCommercePublic transports Periphery Bus Market StreetPublic transports Commerce

Conclusion The application of the Social Representations Theory and it’s methodology to the study of such problems of the urban environment as delinquency and populations’ spatial segregation seems to be interesting. Taking into consideration the results of these two studies could contribute to the elaboration of programs on urban delinquency risk management and on socio-economic integration of urban populations.

Contacts: Contacts: