In the context of the Participatory Design Conference, there is a workshop about place, space, and design (.pdf).

While we are "Expanding Boundaries in Design", perhaps we should think for a moment on the significance of boundaries, which are essentially the separation of "this place" from everything "not this place". And what constitutes "this place"?

The intent of this workshop is to bring together researchers and practitioners who have studied place and space and are engaged in exploring the ways in which place and space affect design and the use of technology and the ways in which technology changes the places where it is used.

The day of the workshop will be divided between exercises and discussions. It will begin with a brief round of introductions, followed by an exercise on location. This is intended to explore differences in awareness of location and the differential meanings carried by the respective erminologies of place and space. The next segment will be the presentation and discussion of participants' reports on their own studies of place and space, either sent in advance or brought to the workshop. The morning will conclude with a game on place, space, and design.

Why do I blog this? This is related to my PhD research, especially the relationship between space/place and socio-cognitive interactions with regards to pervasive computing applications.