Inclusion of differences through the rhythm of the city. An analysis of an urban neighbourhood park

Differences in lifestyle, age, abilities, material possibilities, but also gender are the rule in urban space, homogeneity and commonalities the exception. Dealing with these differences in the management and planning of shared spaces is a major challenge for cities. Based on a three-year observation of the rhythms of a neighbourhood park in Geneva, we argue that such spaces are urban commons that can be managed by a bottom-up logic if some conditions of self-organisation are present, in particular a design of the place facilitating the production of trust and encounters, a social context of respect of differences generated by an urban climate of indifference and finally a democratic way of solving problems (a liberal way of coordination). The results show that the temporal division of use of a same place, based on users' observations of the others, on expectations, conflictive short encounters, and reflexive learning processes are fundamentals to transform a space into a shared common place of inclusion. In this process without negotiators, the temporal organisation of the space is a key element in the creation of a common space for all.