Lecture by Julian Blunk at the University of Bonn

In modern architecture, the use of spaces is increasingly becoming the focus of debates on architecture and urban planning. Research and planning are beginning to take an interest in the influence of the built environment on social space. As a result, the user (usually thought of as male) moves to the centre. He becomes an object of study and an epistemic figure whose movements, behaviour and profile are now closely observed scientifically. However, this figure is not just a neutral concept, but is also overlaid with imaginations of social relationships and standardisation efforts. It is characterised by contradictions and tensions. The conference explores the question of which planning strategies, design techniques and scientific instruments have been developed or used to predict and control the behaviour of people in certain spaces.