Exploring the socio-economic landscape of Valletta : a data driven approach

Abstract

The process of urban planning is about searching for potential, embracing the narratives, existing in the milieu. It is about "about everything at once at the same time." (Huibers, 2013, p. 43) The intricate way space is inhabited exploits the fabric of social relations that once made urban planning what it is. This research paper situates itself in Valletta, a city consumed by the abstract hold of market forces that pose a threat to the city-population relationship. It identifies the need for space to be reflective of the people who live in the city, a socio-spatial fabric which is intricately interwoven into a web of relationships. The urban planner is in a position to reconsider his profession. In an age of technological progression, data has brought about new methods of approach, that some say, has brought about the 'end of theory'. (Anderson, 2008) The new toolkits bring with them access to large amounts of data, that until recently, was incomprehensible. This study underlines the crucial need for urban planners to embrace this new toolkit, to understand its positioning within the remit of the profession. By employing an approach of both quantitative and qualitative methods, this study assesses the relationship between an objective quantifiable data set on personality traits, and the subjective perception of space of the individuals. The research contextualises itself in Valletta to further distil the embedded characteristics that would otherwise stay undetected. The role of the urban planners is to understand the personality of the people living in the city - to protect and safeguard public space from the capitalist intentions of planning. The results outline the opportunities and limitations that data-driven research provokes, both in its efficiency in gathering large scale empirical data, and in its potential to understand the embedded relationship between the material and the immaterial socio-spatial constructs of the urban realm.