Hidden in the most visible place: measuring visual accessibility and social performance of urban kiosks

How do street kiosks, a prominent example of ‘human-scale urban form’, generate new public space and encourage social encounters? To answer this question, this study applies an integrative methodology, combining (1) quantitative visibility analysis with (2) qualitative ethnographic fieldwork. Analyzing kiosks’ visibility allows distinguishing between the effect of search in familiar and in novel environments. The modes in which kiosks are used are traced, revealing that both commercial and non-commercial modes are maximized in places with higher visual integration. Further, the study unexpectedly discovers frequent illegitimate uses in places with a higher degree of visibility, despite higher surveillance and supervision.