Page - 123 - in Mobile Culture Studies - The Journal, Volume 3/2017

Mobile Culture Studies. The Journal 3 2o17 Patrick Naef | Using mobility and urban planning to implement atmosphere 123 bility promotion in Switzerland. The objective of this study is to evaluate the social acceptance of encounter zones and the appropriation of new codes of mobility by inhabitants and users in western Switzerland, the French-speaking part of the country. In the present article, I will focus on two medium-size towns, Fribourg and Versoix, and will explore the ways encounter zones can provide appropriate settings for a desirable atmosphere for pedestrians, one that will con- tribute to place sharing and social encounters. Two case studies have been selected in each town because they both constitute new encounter zones, making it possible to observe the evolution of these places since their transformation. One of the sites under study was inaugurated in 2016 in Versoix, in the canton of Geneva, and the other – in Fribourg – was created in 2014. The two cases represent relatively large and central encounter zones, and both are now significantly used by pedestrians. As we examine the notion of ‘atmosphere’ in these two spots, one important difference should be mentioned. In Fribourg, the encounter zone was set up in the neighborhood of ‘Alt’, described by its inhabitants as a lively area, even before it was transformed into an encounter zone, due to the presence of several schools and the dynamism of its neighborhood association, ‘Quartier d’Alt’. In Versoix, on the other hand, the encounter zone was part of a larger urban transformation undertaking aiming at creating a new city-centre in a space that was mainly a wasteland before the project began. These contrasted settings, one previously inhabited, the other deserted, influence the atmosphere associated with these new encounter zones. These two case studies thus provide good opportunities for observing how urban planners and public authorities can create, or restore, an atmosphere, helping to attract pedestrians and above all to make them want to linger. The results highlighted below have been collected primarily using anthropological methods. First, the areas in focus were thoroughly observed for several days and micro-interviews were conducted with passer-by. Special attention was given to the practices and behaviours of users, mainly pedestrians. The purpose was to examine their itineraries and their occupation of these newly designed spaces (e.g. whether pedestrians would spread across the whole roadway or on the contrary stick to the sides), as well as their interactions with other users (e.g. motorized ve- hicles). Semi-directive interviews were then conducted with different users and stakeholders. So far, twenty-five interviews have been realized with architects, urban planners, town magistrates and staff, as well as shopkeepers, restaurant managers and inhabitants. Focus groups are now being organized with inhabitants and users of these specific encounter zones; the next step will be to conduct a similar process, but one that will include stakeholders. Finally, a detailed con- tent analysis has been undertaken, essentially based on administrative and legal documentation, as well as on the media and architectural or urban planning project reports. Atmospheres and the built environment The notion of ‘atmosphere’ is used in many fields, such as climate, music, plastic art, poetry or advertising. It has also permeated the social sciences, cultural geography and anthropology, and the term frequently appears in the domains of architecture, urban planning or interior design. ‘Atmosphere’ is often conceived as a liminal and fuzzy concept (Trigg 2016). For Ger- not Böhme (1993, 113) its vague use derives from its multiple usages in everyday speech, ‘it is applied to persons, spaces and to nature.’ He states that ‘atmospheres’ are the basis for a theory