ABSTRACT
The first part of this chapter discusses the concept of public space management and its evolution in a context of wider changes to urban governance. Public space management is taken as a sphere of urban governance in which conflicting societal demands on, and aspirations for, public space are interpreted through a set of processes and practices. Four interlinked dimensions for public space management are proposed: the coordination of interventions; the regulation of uses and conflicts between uses; the definition and deployment of maintenance routines; and investment in public spaces and their services. Within this conceptual framework, the chapter looks at recent changes in public space management and in a second part suggests the emergence of alternative models of management. These are based on the roles ascribed to the state, to private agents and to community organisations, and on different approaches to dealing with the four management dimensions. Although the discussion shows that these models are more than just abstract formulations, and have been used to deal with a variety of public space problems, an important purpose for the chapter is to provide an analytical framework through which to examine emergent practices in the management of public space and their potential consequences.
