how the area changed from night to day . We interacted with locals who worked and lived there , asking questions about their daily interaction with Blaha and what impact it had on their lives .
There is a general feeling of indifference towards the square . Although it plays an important role in daily life , few people have any emotional connection with it . No matter one ’ s social standing , everyone we spoke to had a personal relationship with Blaha , yet the idea made clear to us was that this square is not a traditional meeting space – place . It is not a place of current historical relevance , rather it is a transitional space . As Marc Auge stated in Non-Places , An Introduction to Supermodernity :
“ The space of non-place creates neither singular identity nor relations ; only solitude , and similitude .
[…] Since non-places are there to be passed through , they are measured in units of time . Itineraries do not work without timetables , lists of departure and arrival times in which a corner is always found for a mention of possible delays . They are lived through in the present 1 ”.
Blaha revealed itself as a functional being , a place where people meet but do not stay , a place where people speak but do not share , a place which is inhabited , occupied and lived in without maintaining any deep relations .
In the concrete reality of today ’ s world , places and spaces , places and non-places intertwine and tangle together . The possibility of non-place is never absent from any place . Place becomes a refuge to the habitué of non-places ( who may dream , for example , of owning a second home rooted in the depths of the countryside ). Places and non-places are opposed ( or attracted ) like the words and notions that enable us to describe them 2 .
The square is one of the most important collective spaces , a space of relationships and communications , where social values are set . The square represents the symbolic place in which the inhabitants of the city recognize themselves . It is a witness of urban history , a community engagement platform : the epitome of the city . The square is an agent , fundamental for the daily lives of citizens , whilst also acting as regional or national attractions for tourists .
1 Marc Auge , Non-Places , An Introduction to Supermodernity , Verso , London , 1995 , p . 103 2 Ivi , p . 107
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