Evening Leisure. Establishing Recreational Atmosphere in Large Сities

The development of recreational and resort initiatives in metropolitan areas has become a modern trend, capturing the attention of city authorities and experts in urban planning and architecture. This study focuses on how the creative class perceives the atmosphere of urban spaces as a determinant of their recreational appeal. Through a combination of qualitative go-along interviews and quantitative surveys, this research explores the atmosphere of areas in central Moscow characterized by a high concentration of nightlife economic activities. The analysis is grounded in a phenomenological understanding of atmosphere as an intangible manifestation of objects and subjects, shaping a collective spatial experience through physical sensations and emotions. The findings reveal that the perceived atmosphere varies across different locations and depends on factors such as environmental design, sensory perceptions, social context, and the individual perspectives of the subjects. The study's conclusions highlight the situational and subjective nature of atmospheres and the role of the sensory landscape in atmosphere perception. It offers both methodological suggestions and practical insights into the leisure preferences of the creative class, as well as recommendations for creating a recreational atmosphere in megacities, which will be valuable for architectural and marketing endeavors.