ABSTRACT
Since the twelfth century, Arras’ interconnected central squares have accommodated specific aspects of daily civic life and are examples of what urban historian Paul Zucker describes in his book Town and Square (1966) as closed and grouped squares. “Closed” in that they are well-defined, regularized spaces often with uniform walls and “grouped” in that they are part of a spatial and functional ensemble within the town (Zucker 1966: 11).
