How can man´s place preferences be explained? What aspects influence our experience of place? This essay attempts to define a good place to be Drawing from sources of environmental psychology as well as other landscape theories and relating these findings to the landscape architect?s field of work. Physical place properties, like physical elements and their juxtaposition in space are examined in relation to place preferences as well as psychological properties, such as place attachment and place identity due to cultural or social aspects.There are strong cross-cultural similarities in our place preferences but there are also some differences. Natural elements, like trees or water, are widely preferred over man-made ones, like buildings, roads or fences.Man seems to be sensitive for the balance between different place characteristics, like the balance between ?soft?, natural, elements and ?hard? man-made ones or the complexity versus the legibility of place.

The subject of this project focuses on how Landscape Architects by their profession can explore and directly make a difference in the cityscape. This paper documents the process of art - based research practice. The purpose of installing temporary activities is to encourage people in the city to discover, participate and invite people to be more playful in the city. My experience of interaction in public spaces comes primarily from the education within landscape architecture, from site-specific art installations I have performed in different cities and from observations of landscape architecture, street art and urban life in the cities of Vienna, Berlin and Linköping. It is fascinating and inspiring to see how the urban space can invite and allow visitors to participate and therefore feel invited to the open space. As a landscape architect I wish to create urban spaces that are useful and inspiring for their visitors. The projects main question: How can you make temporary landscapes that encourage outdoorinspired activities at selected locations in the city? is answered by practice based research, an approach in which theoretical research are developed through practical experiments in the designing- and implementation process.