ABSTRACT
This chapter is concerned with public space as a social environment which facilitates the transfer of information. It examines the nexus of urbanization, zoning laws, and the development of media technology. The chapter discusses whether the effect of zoning is to promote, hinder, or redirect interaction in public places. The most important form of governmental control of land use in urban areas has been zoning, which involves a legislatively created tool placing limitations upon the "use" of property. Zoning laws regulate communication in four ways; they may restrict or stimulate communicative activity, either explicitly or implicitly. The objectives of zoning include protection of property values, preservation of the character of neighborhood insurance of adequate governmental services, minimization of traffic congestion, aesthetics and historic preservation. Zoning regulations may influence communication by controlling communication activities or by controlling communication contexts. The less obvious approach to zoning and the regulation of public communication contexts pertains to unintended communication ramifications.
