The Good City

According to Amin and Thrift (2002), every city runs in a particular order that comprises everyday objects, such as road signals, post-codes, pipes and overhead cables, satellites, office design and furniture, clocks, commuting patterns, computers and telephones, automobiles, software, schedules, and databases, etc. and controls the urban economic, political, social, and cultural life. As a result, many urban rhythms are aligned in different ways, for instance, in how goods are delivered or traffic flows, in Internet protocols, in civic and public behaviour rituals, in work routines, and in the traditions and cultures found in workplaces and neighborhoods. Defining these objects as a 'technological unconscious,' Thrift (2005) says they provide 'technology of interaction' that would make urban life impossible without it, while Gandy (2002) considers them the urban life support system.

Traffic Intersections Nodes Urban Threshold

There are eight traffic signals surrounding the Cathays Park area, which are crucial in position as they are the nodal points of the area with different scales and activities (Figure 02). Moreover, these nodal points act as the urban threshold of this area between formality and informality. Different groups of people of different ages from the surrounding informal neighborhoods and residential areas must pass these nodes to enter the Cathays

Park University main building area, which is highly academic and formal. The boundaries between two spaces, such as doorways, windows, gates, and corridors, are seen as thresholds by the theorists, which define who has access to what and when, as well as the emotions accompanying that change. Although thresholds seem like ordinary demarcations that separate an inside from outside, like a doorstep, making separations is also the act of establishing connections (Stavros 2015).

Key Map

Site Exploration

The nodes have been explored at different times on weekdays and weekends. It has been observed that the overall vibes of these traffic intersections do not differ at day and night times. As most of the users of these traffic intersections are students, they go to different parts of the city from this place on weekdays and weekends for common interests such as studying, interacting, and celebrating their academic life. That is why these nodes are always vibrant and happening. There is always something going on in these nodes. By bringing people from different backgrounds together in everyday situations, a habit of intercultural formation can emerge with enormous opportunities (Amin 2002, Body-Gendrot 2000, Keith 2005).

The area has also been explored for further in-depth analysis with a series of vision images (Figure 03 and Figure 04). While observing people's activity and interactions in the nodes, it has also been observed that different groups of people with different ideologies and ethnicity pause or stop their journey in these nodes and then again enter the Cathays Park University area. According to Pred (2000), if the city's public culture can sustain diversity and disagreement, it suits the citizens.