Public Space: Notes on why it matters, what we should know, and how to realize its potential

268 Pages·2022·17.16 MB·English

by  Vikas Mehta

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Public
Space
notes on
why it matters, what we should know, and
how to realize its potential
Vikas Mehta
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First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Vikas Mehta
The right of Vikas Mehta to be identifed as author of this work has been asserted in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in
any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice:
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this title has been requested

ISBN: 9781032137032 (hbk)
ISBN: 9781032137025 (pbk)
ISBN: 9781003230502 (ebk)

DOI: 10.4324/9781003230502

Generous support for the publication of this book was provided by the Centre for the Future of
Places, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.
Typeset in Franklin Gothic URW and Avenir
Design by Muhammad Rahman & Vikas Mehta

Publisher’s Note
This book has been prepared from camera-ready copy provided by the author.
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To Shilpa, Ayan, and Anya
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c o n t e n t s
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Introduction 2
1 Why Care?
8
2 What is Public Space?
38

3 Paradoxes
90

4 Possibilities
130

5 Propositions
170
Acknowledgments 223
Notes 225
Further Reading 231
Image Credits 242
Index 243
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Public spaces are icons for cities. Like the Sydney Opera
House, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, the Guggenheim
Museum, the Burj Khalifa, or any other iconic architecture,
public spaces now feature as urban symbols. Cities complete,
among other things, with their public spaces, using them
as enticement, as posters to advertise and attract residents,
businesses, visitors, developers, investors, and large employ-
ers. You can visit almost any city or town and inevitably fnd
a collection of symbolic or “image” public spaces designed
and programed to do just that. The formula is not new.
Adopted since the 1980s and 90s in cities in North America,
Europe, and Australia, it has now become a staple in city
branding and image-building in the twenty-first century
across the Global North and South. Cities with historically
emblematic public spaces have refurbished them. Ones
that did not have any, have created new image spaces in
downtowns, city centers, on waterfronts, and more. Just as
cities around the globe have hired starchitects to design
their own “Sydney Opera Houses,” they have brought in
urban designers, landscape architects, and architects to
create their own iconic public spaces. These public spaces
have been instrumental in spearheading the revitalization
of many city precincts. They have been used to attract capi-
tal and labor, but also ultimately a trust in the city. Public
spaces have been used to resurrect urban living. But this
3
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