2.2.1. Methods

This study applied a combined research method. The first phase of the research was related to the theoretical basis for the general role of public spaces in the context of global socio-spatial sustainability. The theoretical platform that began this research had a strong significance in this study, as the chosen method was creative street design in the regeneration process for the case study streets. Some theoretical determinants were especially important in understanding the general perception of the regeneration of traditional open public spaces and the changed role of public space in the information age. Emphasis has been placed on the socio-spatial sustainability of contemporary public open spaces, through creation of the new spatial values, and their new role as an interpreter for the interaction between local processes and global demands.

The second research phase was based on a survey of the subjective perceptions of area users and architecture students, through three perception factors (visual, tactile, and auditory), with a specific case study of 12 streets of Mirkova Varoš in Podgorica. Perception criteria were defined based on a complex analysis of urban elements of the central zone, including general elements (socio-economic, environmental, cultural, and geographical e ffects), and taking into account the fieldwork examinations of specific physical, functional, and program characteristics of these street spaces. The results obtained were used as input data for the third phase of the study, which entailed the physical regeneration of thecasestudyarea,interpretedbytheapplicationofacreativeurbandesignconcept.

 Figure 6 shows the research process and the applied methods.

**Figure 6.** The research process and applied methods.
