Definition
Public space refers to an urban space that is freely accessible to all people. Accessibility here refers not only to the ability to physically enter public space, but also the ability to participate in, and take decisions about, the activities taken place in it (Carmona et al. 2003; Shaftoe 2008). Conventional categorizations of public space include urban parks, civic plazas, streets, markets, playgrounds, community open spaces, waterfronts, greenways, and indoor public venues.
Public space is a physical entity associated with the political concept of public sphere (Low and Smith 2006). It can also be referred to as public realm when the physical aspect and the political aspect coincide. Understandings of public space have recently moved away from the dichotomy of public and private, with public space being recognized as bearing various degrees of publicness. Dimensions of publicness are further discussed below.
Synonyms
Introduction...
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Chen, F., Piazzoni, F., Xi, J., Shun Kei, Y., Antonopoulou, A. (2021). Public Space. In: The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Futures. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51812-7_172-1
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