ABSTRACT
European cities are changing rapidly in part due to the process of de-industrialization, European integration and economic globalization. Within those cities public spaces are the meeting place of politics and culture, social and individual territories, instrumental and expressive concerns. Public Space and the Challenges of Urban Transformation in Europe investigates how European city authorities understand and deal with their public spaces, how this interacts with market forces, social norms and cultural expectations, whether and how this relates to the needs and experiences of their citizens, exploring new strategies and innovative practices for strengthening public spaces and urban culture.
These questions are explored by looking at 13 case studies from across Europe, written by active scholars in the area of public space and organized in three parts:
- strategies, plans and policies
- multiple roles of public space
- and everyday life in the city.
This book is essential reading for students and scholars interested in the design and development of public space. The European case studies provide interesting examples and comparisons of how cities deal with their public space and issues of space and society.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|52 pages
Strategies, Plans, and Policies
chapter 2|12 pages
Urban Spaces as Public Action ‘Made Durable'
part II|54 pages
Multiple Roles of Public Space
chapter 6|15 pages
4,000,000m2 of Public Space
chapter 7|10 pages
How to Build the Public Spaces of a Democracy?
chapter 9|12 pages
Urban Public Spaces in Switzerland
part III|76 pages
Everyday Life and Sharing the City