Sustainable Urban Narratives in Public Art: A Field Study

Thesis Abstract

Sustainable urban narratives through public art have become pivotal in shaping collective memory, community identity, and civic engagement within rapidly changing cityscapes, yet empirical investigations into how such artworks mediate sustainability discourse and local residents’ perceptions remain limited. This study addresses the gap by examining how public art projects articulate sustainability narratives, influence community engagement, and reflect urban development priorities in a mid-sized European metropolis. The aim is to theorize the mechanisms by which public art contributes to sustainable urban governance through narrative construction, participatory processes, and material-cultural practices. Specific objectives are (1) to map and categorize sustainability narratives embedded in publicly commissioned artworks across five district sites; (2) to evaluate residents’ perceptions of these narratives and their relation to place attachment, environmental awareness, and democratic participation; (3) to examine spatial-temporal patterns of narrative reception in relation to gentrification pressures and policy timelines; (4) to test the applicability of relational aesthetics and social practice theory as explanatory lenses for public art’s role in sustainability discourse; and (5) to develop a framework for assessing the sustainability impacts of public art initiatives in urban contexts. The study adopts an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, beginning with a qualitative phase to explore narrative typologies and stakeholder meanings, followed by a quantitative phase to test relationships between perceived narratives and indicators of social-ecological resilience. The population comprises residents, artists, curators, municipal officers, and community stakeholders associated with public art projects completed or ongoing within the last eight years in the city. A purposive sample of 30-40 stakeholders and 400 resident survey respondents will be targeted, with stratified sampling ensuring representation across districts with distinct socio-economic profiles. Data collection instruments include semi-structured interviews with 25-30 key informants, a narrative coding framework for artwork case studies, a standardized resident survey instrument capturing measures of place attachment, environmental concern, trust in urban institutions, and participatory behaviors, and observational field notes from site visits. Validity and reliability will be established through triangulation, pilot testing of survey items (N=50), intercoder reliability checks for qualitative coding (Cohen’s kappa > 0.7), and expert review of the theoretical framework. Quantitative data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis to identify underlying dimensions of narrative perception, and multiple regression to assess the influence of perceived sustainability narratives on place attachment and civic participation, controlling for demographic variables. Qualitative data will undergo thematic analysis using a combined deductive-inductive approach, guided by relational aesthetics, social practice theory, and narrative policy analysis, with findings integrated at the interpretation stage through a joint display. A cross-case comparative synthesis will identify conditions under which public art narratives more effectively foster sustainable behaviors and community resilience, including the interplay between artist engagement processes, governance structures, and local memory work. Expected findings include (i) a typology of sustainability narratives generated by public art that align with ecological literacy, social cohesion, and economic inclusivity; (ii) evidence that residents who perceive inclusive, participatory narrative processes exhibit higher levels of place attachment and willingness to engage in pro-sustainability actions; and (iii) identification of contextual factors—such as governance transparency, community co-design practices, and ongoing maintenance regimes—that moderate the narrative-to-behavior pathway. The study contributes to knowledge by bridging art-induced narrative theories with urban sustainability frameworks, offering an empirically grounded model of how public art can operationalize sustainability within urban governance and community practice. It also provides a practical framework for municipalities and cultural organizations to design, evaluate, and scale public art initiatives that strengthen social-ecological resilience. The main conclusion anticipates that sustainable urban narratives emerge when art processes foreground inclusive co-creation, transparent governance, and ongoing dialog about shared futures; recommendations include establishing formal co-creation protocols, longitudinal narrative monitoring, and integrating public art evaluation into municipal sustainability reporting to maximize long-term societal benefits.