Michaelis, Jari Luis (2026) Experiencing Urban Change: Residents' Perceptions of Socio-Spatial Transformation Following the Daylighting of the Lutter in Bielefeld. Master thesis, Cultural Geography - Climate Adaptation Governance (CAG).
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Abstract
This thesis examines how residents perceive and experience socio-spatial transformation following the daylighting of the Lutter Stream in the Ravensberger Straße in Bielefeld, Germany. While urban river restoration and stream daylighting are increasingly discussed in relation to sustainability, climate adaptation and urban liveability, less is known about how their social value is experienced by residents living directly alongside completed small-scale daylighting projects in everyday residential life. Based on a qualitative case study, this research draws on ten semi- structured interviews with residents of the Ravensberger Straße, analysed through thematic analysis. The findings show that the daylighting of the Lutter was perceived largely positively, but not merely as a physical or ecological improvement. Residents described the transformation as a broader socio-spatial change that altered the street’s character, visibility, atmosphere, everyday use and emotional meaning. The reopened watercourse encouraged new spatial practices, transforming the street from a primarily residential space into a place of lingering, observation, informal encounter and everyday leisure. For several residents, this strengthened place attachment and neighbourhood identity. At the same time, the increased attractiveness and public use of the street also produced ambivalences, particularly regarding noise, littering, public behaviour and mobility conflicts. The thesis argues that stream daylighting should be understood as a lived socio-spatial transformation whose social success depends not only on design and ecological restoration, but also on everyday management, communication and responsiveness to residents’ concerns after implementation. Keywords: stream daylighting; urban river restoration; urban public space; residents’ perceptions; place attachment; Bielefeld
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Rosenbergova, S. |
| Date Deposited: | 02 Jul 2026 08:12 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Jul 2026 08:12 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/876 |
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