Authors: Setha Low, Troy Simpson, and Suzanne Scheld
The Toolkit for the Ethnographic Study of Space (TESS) is an in-depth method for studying the everyday life of a particular public space. It is a qualitative method that helps you understand the meaning and context of what you learn. Ethnography, a cultural description of a place, is a way to uncover the cultural rules, beliefs, feelings, and practices that make up public life. It complements quantitative survey and demographic methods by adding people’s experience of place.
Most importantly, a TESS study is a way to uncover the causes and dynamics of social exclusion, lack of diversity, and inequality in the use and access of a space so you can work toward creating a socially just space for all community groups and members.
Download the toolkit on the website of the Public Space Research Group.
Recommended by Luisa Bravo
More Stories
San Francisco Shared Spaces Sustainability Strategy
Gender inequalities in Beirut’s public spaces
Guidelines for Climate-Resilient, Gender-Responsive, and Socially Inclusive Public Open Spaces in Bangladesh