Urbani izziv Volume 35, No. 2, December 2024
: 127-140
(Articles)
UDK: 378.091.6:316.74(497.4Ljubljana)
doi: 10.5379/urbani-izziv-en-2024-35-02-04
Author
Domen Žalac
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre for Spatial Sociology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
domen.zalac@fdv.uni-lj.si
Primož Medved
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, Centre for Spatial Sociology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
primozmedved@yahoo.com
Title
Exploring university third places:
The Aškerc Street university campus in Ljubljana
(Slovenia)
Abstract
This article examines the potential of multifunctional
university public spaces, or “third places”, with a particular
focus on their role as catalysts for social interaction
and urban development in the academic environment. It
studies the University of Ljubljana’s Aškerc Street campus,
which is undergoing complete urban regeneration. After
identifying all the specific third places, the article shows
why third places are important for various stakeholders
(students and professors) and presents their suggestions
on how to improve the third places on the campus. The
findings show that, although university spaces are essential
for academic and social activities, they have significant
design and use limitations. It shows that students and
faculty members frequently make use of third places on
and off campus to study, work, relax, and socialize, and for
other informal gatherings, and that there is a clear need
to provide more flexible, accessible, and non-commercial
spaces on the campus.
Key Words
university campus, public spaces, third places, multifunctional spaces, urban development, Ljubljana