Space Sharing and the Shared Space: A Case Study in Nanjing.

Sharing practices are emerging phenomena in the 21st century. The existing literature mainly focuses on sharing practices such as sharing economy, bike-sharing schemes, food sharing, and co-housing regarding the social, cultural, political, and organizational dimensions, while space sharing has been under-investigated. By taking a qualitative case study approach, this paper mainly examined the socio-spatial dimensions of sharing practices through the lens of sharing urban public spaces by neighborhood residents. To better understand how shared spaces are formed and how shared spaces facilitate sharing activities, a public space in a historic neighborhood in Nanjing was selected as a case. Taking account of a specific urban context, the research aimed to understand place-based sharing practices in as many ways as possible. The research findings revealed that the appropriate physical conditions of the public space are the prerequisites for space sharing. In turn, space-sharing practices could enhance the sense of community and social cohesion. However, some negative effects, such as homogeneity in social groups and privatization of the public space were identified as well. The implications for policy-making and planning practice were also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]