ABSTRACT
Contemporary ideas of public space reflect an idealized view of the squares and marketplaces of ancient times, where strangers of diverse backgrounds are imagined to mingle freely, debate political views, and engage in a lively bazaar of commercial transactions. Increasingly, private associations dominate public-private partnerships to both finance and manage public spaces, and are able to set additional rules for their use. The extension of private governance over public spaces is a historically new form of social control, which emerged in fears of disorder during the 1970s and 1980s in major cities of the world, especially in North America. Beginning with the necessary tasks of keeping public space clean and safe, however, business improvement districts and public parks conservancies also assumed a 'civilizing mission'. They aimed to make public spaces into havens of consumption by eliminating all potentially unpleasant encounters.
