ABSTRACT
This article deals with the change in the perception of public spaces due to the Corona pandemic. The focus is on the conversion of urban spaces through the construction of outdoor bar areas, a current and so far neglected issue from a scientific perspective. Against the background of the conceptual embedding of the concepts of public space and curb side dining areas (or synonymously: "Schanigärten”), the dealing with the latter in the study area of Munich is explained. In the context of the current situation in Munich, the influence of curb side dining areas on the perception of public space is first analysed by means of an explorative survey. The result of a conjoint analysis shows, among other things, a positive correlation between the presence of curb side dining areas and the perception of respective computer-simulated street scenes (with all possible combinations of the presence or absence of curb side dining areas, trees and parking spaces). In addition, a regression analysis is used to analyse the extent to which individual socio-demographic aspects (e.g., age, gender) and aspects of attitude (e.g., toward the conversion of urban parking lots) and behaviour (car use) influence perception. In a further step, specific street scenes are assessed using recent photographs from Munich in order to measure different aspects of perception as well. The evaluation of a semantic differential shows that street sections with "Schanigärten” are consistently perceived more positively (e.g. more interesting, safer, more inviting) than those without. Finally, and in the light of the Corona pandemic, the development of the "Schanigärten” in Munich is explained from an expert's perspective, before the article concludes with a summary and an outlook. © 2022 Austrian Geographical Society. All rights reserved.