Territoriality in Public Spaces

Territoriality in Public Spaces
Would you linger in an area, such as a telephone box or car parking space, if somebody was waiting to use it? Many people would like to think that they would leave the area quickly, but research shows that in some cases territorial behaviour can occur in a public place.
Territorial behaviour often occurs in areas of private ownership, such as a person's home. Ruback and Barash (1977) describe the cost-benefit analysis of territoriality. This means that if the perceived cost of resisting an intruder is less than the value of the territory then they will def…