ABSTRACT
The introduction sets out the three main arguments of the book: firstly, that connections between ways of making specific architectural and social forms of public spaces are intertwined and contested; secondly, that there are disparities in these unequal relationships, such as the financial means, political power and rights of ownership over land, that are leveraged when urban spaces are reconfigured through planning and reinforced through their management; and third, that there are specific urban conditions, designs for development and routine circumstances that inform the public nature of streets, squares and neighbourhoods. The introduction also sets out the core themes, in particular relations between masterplanning and public spaces.
