Understanding gendered public space through genius loci, genius temporis, and zeitgeist

Urban public spaces in intermediate Algerian cities are undergoing a significant shift: Women are increasingly reclaiming outdoor space within built environments never designed around their needs. In Batna, where the squares carry the deep territorial identity of the Aurès region, this tension between emerging female presence and spatial exclusion takes a particularly revealing form. This study examines how women appropriate four central squares through a tridimensional framework articulating genius loci, genius temporis, and zeitgeist. A mixed-methods approach combining systematic observation, sensory mapping, semistructured interviews, and chronospatial analysis examined gendered patterns of presence and appropriation among 695 female participants. The Gendered Public Space Performance Index (IPSP-G) is proposed as a composite measurement framework, integrating seven normalized dimensions including usage intensity, temporal diversity, and security sentiment. Results reveal marked performance heterogeneity (0.52–0.74), demonstrating that sustained female appropriation requires the convergence of commercial vitality, temporal accessibility, and cultural negotiation, rather than isolated design interventions. Crucially, women do not merely adapt to existing spaces—through daily practices and emerging spatial routines, they actively reshape the city’s genius loci. This study contributes to gendered urban theory and offers concrete implications for inclusive public space design in comparable culturally conservative urban contexts.