Unravelling Complexities: Understanding Public Spaces

Public spaces are important places in city and urban life. The functions ascribed to public space are broad, ranging from political representation, the possibility of political protest and demonstration, to economic use (such as street markets) and the politics of memory. They are also places where different expectations and interests are negotiated. Public spaces are arenas of social life and interaction, and an irreplaceable characteristic of the European city. In the context of both a growing and increasingly diversified city and a neoliberal urban development model, to what extent can the development processes that manifest in public space still be steered? There are stark differences in the reception of public space, its qualities and accessibility (or lack of), which lead to conflicts between different actors about the conditions of its use. This publication provides a comprehensive overview on theoretical debates, methodological approaches and implementation of public space analyses.