ABSTRACT
In this article I attempt to do two things: first, to extend general arguments about the about the nature of risk by situating the idea of public space in Karsten Harries’s notion of the “terror of time;” and second, to raise the specter of actual terrorism, which is to say, parasitic violence that is perversely enabled by public space. Consider the brutal infliction of murder using trucks or cars in public parks, streets, or promenades. How does the potential for real violence affect our sense of time as we emerge from the fragile safety of the private building in order to enter, occupy, and enjoy public spaces? These are spaces that, unlike some buildings, can never fully exclude themselves from outside penetration. In other words, their potential for terror is perpetual. Is there any valid response to this brutal inversion of the public ideal as non-rival and non-excludable?
