ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the concept of visibility as a useful tool to diagnose and assess inclusive public spaces, which are understood as spaces that are open and accessible to all people, regardless of social, cultural, and economic differences. The concept of visibility refers to the visual perception of the observable features of distinctive urban groups in public space, which give evidence of how these groups engage with, shape, and construct public space. The chapter argues that the visibility of distinctive urban groups on the street manifests the rights of these groups to participate in public life of the city, which is a key feature of socially inclusive cities. Consequently, the presence and changes in visibility of urban groups in public space is a highly political issue, raising issues in relation to just and unjust urban conditions. The chapter reflects on the findings of an empirical research, which uses the visibility of Turkish amenities as a proxy for the presence and appropriation of public spaces by Turkish immigrants in the context of urban transformation processes in Amsterdam. It concludes by presenting the implications of these findings for urban design and planning practice and research.
