ABSTRACT
Our aim in this book has been investigating the politics of public space at a moment of crucial transformation for European cities, analysing the public space as a crossroad in which different stakeholders interact within the context of economic, political, social, environmental, and cultural challenges. What can we learn from our case studies about the role of the public authorities, the interplay between these different challenges, and the experiences of European urban societies? The European national and municipal policy documents and programmes place much emphasis on the need for public space and on its potential towards addressing these challenges. Are these policies implemented in practice, and if so, how, to what extent, and with what impact? Can the provision, improvement, and management of public space equally and simultaneously facilitate social inclusion, economic development, environmental sustainability, and cultural diversity, or are these incompatible demands on the urban environment that cannot be reconciled at all?
