Leerstand und Stadterleben aus der Perspektive der Atmosphärenforschung – Das Beispiel der Fußgängerzone von Bad Bergzabern

This article presents the results of an exploratory study investigating how vacant shops in the pedestrian zone of Bad Bergzabern are experienced from the perspective of atmosphere research. Many centres of small towns are currently more or less permanently affected by retail premises standing vacant. One reason why this is a problem for these towns is that it reduces the quality of the visit and experience in the town centres. With its focus on the mood of spaces and the influence of the immediate environment on people′s subjective wellbeing, atmosphere research enables us to grasp this connection and to understand it in a more nuanced way. The investigation builds empirically on the method of ”Parcours commentés“. In terms of results, the experience of vacancy was found to be expressed in the three basic effects of dreariness, aversion and acceleration. They illustrate the way in which vacancy fundamentally affects the time spent in and the experience of a pedestrian zone. Moreover, it becomes apparent through which subjective factors on the one hand and through which concrete physical/material manifestations of vacancy on the other hand the basic effects are accentuated. ... mehrFollowing on from this, options for dealing with situations of longer-term vacancy are discussed.