Abstrakt
Rhythmanalysis and methods used in its framework, often using merely a lefebvrian, poetic state of mind, have been elaborated rather sparsely, even in the context of urbanism, human geography, and architecture. Its interdisciplinary nature provides perspectives which proved worthy in various disciplines.
Our aim is to develop the rhythmanalytical approach and methods in the context of urban studies on a case study of a transformation of a railway station hub Smíchovské nádraží in Prague. We will report on current developments and hope to get feedback on this less standardized methodology in-the-making.
We employed a wide range of methods to explore the present rhythms, their relationships and perceptions of the involved actors. We applied document analysis to identify how rhythms are described in official documents.
Semi-structured interviews help us to gather more information about rhythms from involved actors. We also used non-structured field observation and time-lapse photography to identify rhythms at the railway station.
Because of its automatic, fully determined nature of timelapse, it was especially this approach that provided us a firm grounding for objective evaluation of rhythms. That way, we could approach various rhythms in the passage of time (certain "pace of time") which are not usually detectable in direct human experience as it is lived.
These steps are taken at the first stage of the urban transformation process. Eventually, at later stages, we will proceed to a comparison of the rhythms, their subjects and sources.
Different data sources and methods led to identification of different rhythms and their descriptions. Resulting rhythms draw an image of an overall rhythmic assemblage and illustrate underlying, relational concepts (e.g. typical lefebvrian notions of eurhythmia, arrhythmia, isorhythmia, polyrhythmia and such).
For example, while new rhythms may be aligned in eurhythmic relation with rhythms of invested capital, retail and privileged workers, they may be disharmonious (arrhythmic) with rhythms of long-time locals, nature rhythms or biorhythms or even infrastructural rhythms of surrounding quarters. At the railway station, it is apparent that the rhythms of public transport are dominant and prevail.
Yet there are also strong retail rhythms or less apparent rhythms of excluded social groups that appropriate the station as their territory. The first phase of this case study focused on the observed territory in the period where only slight changes physically occurred.
The study mostly analyzed the current status quo which is polyrhythmic, yet strives to minimize conflicts (arrhythmia). Its emphasis on eurhythmia relates to the general nature of a railway station where most of the relations are subordinated to the transport (train) rhythms and their precise, regular and smooth schedule.
As the linear clock-time of train timetables governs the station, the regular ebb and flow of passengers reflect this accordingly. Our project suggests that the rhythmanalytical approach applied in the context of urbanism and architecture benefits from the use of a wider range of methods and data sources than the usual subjective, flâneur-like approach.
Different methods and data sources allow the researcher to identify different rhythms, perspectives of subjects and provide a richer description. In this regard, rhythmanalysis is to be seen as a tool for optimal design of space, revealing inner processes.