at 14:00 in the Meeting room, 3ʳᵈ floor, Amdo building and in zoom

Rooftops are emerging urban public spaces that can expand the availability of land for recreation, leisure, and social interaction in dense cities. This dissertation evaluates the capacity of Elevated Public Spaces on Rooftops (EPSOR) to function as sociable public places by developing a tailored rooftop publicness assessment framework. Grounded in theories of publicness and sociability, the study employs an explanatory sequential mixed‑methods design combining conceptual analysis, policy review, and empirical case studies. The framework is tested on comparative cases in New York, Tel Aviv‑Yafo and Jerusalem to identify indicators, typologies, and governance conditions that promote rooftop publicness. The research aims to provide municipal decision‑makers and practitioners with an evidence‑based framework for evaluating and integrating rooftops into urban strategies for denser cities. By validating the framework across various governance contexts, the study offers transferable recommendations for cities seeking to activate rooftop spaces as inclusive, sociable public realms.

Contact information: Gilat Lovinger| 050-6247017 | mail: gilatl@campus.technion.ac.il