Perceived space, conceived space, lived space: The trialectics of spatiality on the example of a brownfield regeneration investment in Budapest

Abstract

Even though Hungarian scholars have been undoubtedly maintaining a growing interest in brownfield rehabilitation throughout the past 15 years, empirically none of them discusses the visitors of these former industrial venues. In order to fill this research gap, this paper focuses on Millenáris – Budapest’s flagship brownfield regeneration investment – and, in particular, on its visitors’ perceptions of the venue, their knowledge and attitudes about it, and the diverse ways they use it. As its underlying theoretical framework, it applies the concept of the ‘trialectics of spatiality’ of Henri Lefebvre (1991 [1974]) and Edward Soja (1996). This spatial epistemology emphasizes the distinction between three spatial aspects: space as perceived (‘perceived space’), space as conceived (‘conceived space’), and space as directly experienced, lived and used (‘lived space’). The study operationalized this tripartite concept via a questionnaire survey conducted at Millenáris, resulting in a sample size of 1487 respondents.

Based on the findings, different social groups have different perceptions and conceptions of the venue and in line with the respondents’ socio-demographic background, they use it in diverse ways and for various purposes. We can observe such differences particularly along age, highest educational attainment and place of residence (while less in terms of gender). The investment might be considered as a successful example of brownfield regeneration in the sense that it firmly inhabits people’s perceived, conceived and lived spaces. On the one hand, architects and heritage protectionists highly appreciated the former industrial built environment’s reinterpretation while, on the other hand, the politically motivated interest group behind the project also positioned its ‘meanings’ (i.e. the representations of space) for its own purposes. Nevertheless, Millenáris could not have become a successful project based solely on these two factors: in spite of its strong political connotations, people also have continually been accepting and actively utilizing it. This, nevertheless, required a set of new functions connected to daily routines, which – as the result of performativity – created a constantly (re-)lived link between residents and the rehabilitated former industrial venue.