## 4 Discussion  
### Contribution to Methodology: Viability and Value of MST  
The samples have effectively demonstrated how MST can help reveal people's conceptualization of public space and its potential for investigating the links between loneliness and public space. Although the two samples used here were very small and the photographs used differed between samples, the results nevertheless revealed similar underlying structures. This does lend support to the reliability and validity of this methodology. The results shown are coherent and stable, indicating that people conceptualize public space differently in accordance to the focus of the conception process [(38; 92)].  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Sample one: young adults (24–35 years old)**} \\ \hline
**Public Space** & **Characteristics** & **Activities** \\ \hline café & cozy, authentic, local & coffee and refreshment, meeting friends, reading, people watching, working, surfing 1  & coffee and refreshment, meeting friends, reading, activities 8  & coffee and refreshment, meeting friends, reading, activities 2  & hangout, viewing, people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, biking, meeting people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, biking, meeting people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, biking, meeting people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, biking, meeting people watching, biking  & hangout, viewing, meeting frends, reading, biking  & hangout, viewing, meeting frends, reading, biking  & hangout, viewing, meeting frends, reading, biking  & hangout, viewing, meeting frends, reading, and biking  & hangout, viewing, meeting frends, reading, and biking [FOOTNOTE:2]Footnote 2: working on computer/screen devices with access to internet, 2 noted running, walking dogs, biking; 3 one non-Swedish participant noted that he would do such activities at cafés in other countries, e.g.  
Whether the focus is the general experience of the place, or specific situations such as feeling lonely, the same places may be perceived differently between people, or even by the same person at different times in their lives [38].  
The benefit of the multiple sorting tasks, together with its opportunities for people to discuss their category assignments, lies in its participatory process that is engaging and often enjoyable for the participant. By making sorting the focus of the interview, it allows people to state their conceptions about places without the need to fully clarify and verbalize how places may affect them. The commentary session affirms and enriches the references for understanding people's associations to places. Overall, the MST has several key qualities that can make it effective. (1) It is a user-friendly interactive tool for both researchers and participants [93]. It enhances communication with its enjoyable form and ability to provide a learning opportunity for all involved. (2) It is time- and cost-effective for exploring people's conceptual systems or constructs [39]. (3) It is flexible in the choices of material for the sorting and can be performed both verbally and nonverbally [38; 39]. (4) Using MSA as the analysis tool allows the development of a quantitative structure to reveal the underlying bases for the qualitative material. It thus merges qualitative and quantitative aspects [93; 96].