Abstract: This two-part paper draws upon different scholarly traditions to highlight the key tensions at the heart of the contemporary public space debate. Critiques of public space can broadly be placed into two camps, those who argue that public space is over-managed, and those who argue that it is under-managed. This over-simplifies a complex discourse on public space that this paper aims to unpack, but nevertheless provides a useful lens through which to view the critiques. In fact there are a series of discrete but related critiques of the contemporary public space situation, and it is these that the first part of this paper identifies and organizes. In so doing it also reveals a range of public space types that are used in the second part of the paper to suggest a new typology of public space.

Abstract: This paper presents a model of, and method for benchmarking, the publicness of public space—termed here as the Star Model. The model is intended to be of value for comparative purposes (i.e. measuring the publicness of one place vis-a-vis another); as an analytic measure of publicness to be compared with more subjective interpretations of publicness; and as a departure point for deeper investigations of why particular places are more/less public than they could/should be. The paper is in four main parts. The first part discusses and then conceptualizes the nature of ‘public’ space. The second considers publicness as a multi-dimensional concept, identifying and discussing five meta dimensions—ownership; control; civility; physical configuration; and animation. The third explains the model and the integration of these dimensions into a pictorial representation of a place's publicness. The final part discusses the model's value and suggests avenues for further development and research.

Abstract: During the last two decades the literature on public space has registered the emergence of alternative forms of pubic space provision that depart from the traditional model of direct state ownership and management. The picture that emerges is a complex one, not so much one of privatization, but instead one of complex redistribution of roles, rights and responsibilities in public space governance to a range of social actors beyond the state. This paper discusses an approach to understanding the forms of publicness implicit in alternative forms of public space governance. Issues of rights, access, accountability and control could be examined in public space governance arrangements based on contracts, legal agreements and performance management mechanisms involving private and voluntary entities instead of the traditional public sector processes of policy delivery and accountability. The paper proposes a framework for investigating how ‘publicness’ is constructed and maintained through these arrangements.

Abstract: This paper examines relevant characteristics of the ‘contested city’ and the concept of ‘public space’ in that problematic context. It offers an appraisal of the historical and contemporary role of urban design in shaping social space and interrogates the feasibility of using urban design to facilitate more integrated cityscapes. It presents detailed case studies of two ‘contested cities’, Nicosia and Belfast, based on content analysis of policy and planning documents, extensive site analyses in both places, interviews and seminar discussions with policy makers, planners, community and civic leaders. The paper comprises four dimensions—conceptual, descriptive, analytical and prescriptive—and in its final section identifies core values and relevant policies for the potential achievement of shared space in contested cities.

Abstract: Thermal comfort is an important issue to be considered in the design of urban squares. This study hypothesized that thermal experience can be affected by the perception of spatial structures and materials, which can be influenced by urban design. Therefore, surveys were conducted in three Dutch squares (in Den Haag, Eindhoven and Groningen, respectively) to identify relationships between people's long-term thermal experience and three factors: width of the square, spatial openness and appearance of materials. The results reveal that all three factors have an influence: Dutch people experience thermal discomfort when spaces are ‘too wide’, ‘too open’ and consist of ‘cold’ materials.

Abstract: Sidewalks have become important to diverse planning concerns that range from walking for health and transportation to economic development, recreation and environment improvement. Given their multiple roles in rapidly changing cities, this paper asks 'how should we plan sidewalks?' We contend that planners can create better cities for more people by reconsidering three facets of sidewalk planning: sidewalks as infrastructure, sidewalks as spaces of everyday life, and sidewalks as leisure destinations. The objective is to build quality infrastructure and more adaptable spaces throughout the city

Abstract: In the late 1980s and early 1990s a number of academics and planners enthusiastically espoused the concept of transit-oriented development (TOD), but actual construction and implementation of TOD projects was slow to follow. Empirical studies of the time showed that new transit lines had a rather timid effect in triggering new development along their corridors. This seems to have changed in recent years, and many more TOD projects have started appearing along new railway corridors. The study uses two light rail lines in Los Angeles County to explain the new-found popularity of TODs. Drawing from interviews with architects, planners and developers, the study outlines the new opportunities but also challenges faced by transit-oriented development today.

Abstract: Many professions have defined a spectrum of roles that in various degrees balance case work with systemic work. Using the metaphor of editing, and borrowing from multiple professional fields, this paper offers a framework for conceiving of urban design. This paper suggests that (1) ‘urban design’ is an overarching term for a school of professions and disciplines that focus on the physical design of our settlements and their component pieces (just as ‘medicine’ includes doctors, nurses, epidemiologists); (2) within this ‘school’ we can articulate a spectrum of roles that range from those focused on individual cases, through editorial roles, to those addressing systemic issues.

Abstract: How might an urban environment be evaluated visually? What different stories might be told when using different assessment techniques? Since the 1960s, researchers and others have developed a rich array of design evaluation approaches. This paper uses six different tools to measure three transit station area environments. Some focus mainly on visual issues such as colour, complexity and dominance. Others are more concerned with urban design features and qualities related to how people use environments. Together they provide a rich vocabulary for describing and assessing various design types and strategies such as transit-oriented development.

Abstract: Public art and cultural events have often been enlisted to represent the socio-cultural diversity of cities, to upgrade a city's status and boost its economy by promoting internal and external tourism. What are the consequences of such efforts in an ethno-nationally contested city? Discourse analysis and ethnographic encounters situate the annual Holiday of Holidays festival in the Israeli-Palestinian neighbourhood of Wadi Nisnas as integral to Haifa's strategy to promote itself as a site of coexistence. The neighbourhood serves the entire city in that its ‘Arab’ urban space has become its emblem of coexistence. This manipulation of the area by the municipality is, however, not reinforced by urban regeneration and heritage management of the local Palestinian community. However, coexistence discourse is also employed by the residents themselves, suggesting a more nuanced understanding of the role of urban space in advertising the city as well as of concepts of local identity and citizenship.

Abstract: Just as a good manager builds on existing strengths of an organization, so good urbanism builds upon given assets of a place. ‘Integral urbanism’ begins by engaging communities to identify such assets and consider how best to leverage them. In this way, it sets a generative and dynamic self-adjusting feedback mechanism into motion, where communities build creatively upon their strengths, sometimes in the process even converting their greatest problems into the greatest solutions. In Metropolitan Phoenix, integral urbanism has been practised with canalscape, a distributed system of vital urban hubs where canals meet major streets. Canalscape will offer an alternative to sprawl, highly desirable live/work settings, and much-needed places to gather, significantly contributing to urban and economic revitalization. Practising integral urbanism, this re-orientation of urban growth and development along the canal banks leverages an existing asset, offering an authentic and sustainable desert urbanism for the Pho...

Abstract: Catharine Ward Thompson & Penny Travlou (Eds), London, Taylor & Francis, 2007, 204 pp., ISBN 10: 0415415330; ISBN 13: 978 0415415330 (hbk); ISBN 10: 0415415349; ISBN 13: 978 0415415347 (pbk) In the...

Abstract: Ned Crankshaw, Washington DC, Island Press, $70.00, ISBN 9781597264822 (hbk) $35 ISBN 9781597264839 (pbk) Small towns “represent a history of investment of energy and materials in building and infr...

Abstract: Jonathan Barnett (Ed.), Chicago, Chicago University Press, 2007, £26.00 (pbk), 148 pp., ISBN 10: 1932364366; ISBN 13: 978 1932364361 One of President Barack Obama's signature projects in his Econom...

Abstract: The preservation and promotion of neighbourhood identity is important in contemporary cities. Los Angeles, long known for its lack of both effective mass transit and, separately, local identity and cohesion among its neighbourhoods, is currently working to address each of these issues, yet little attention has been paid to the possibility that the two can be directly related. This paper investigates how rail transit line identification and station-naming decisions are not only important to community members but can have an impact on the neighbourhood identity. After introducing these ideas with the case of the identification of the Metro ‘Expo Line’ in LA, the paper turns to a comparison of naming logics for other local institutions and other major transit systems, arguing that cities could benefit from considering ‘community supportive’ transit design that promotes local identity in addition to more pragmatic wayfinding concerns.

Abstract: Alex Krieger & William S. Saunders (Eds) Minneapolis MN, University of Minnesota Press, 2009, ISBN 978 0 8166 5638 7 Urban design compendia (readers) have averaged about one a year over the last si...

Abstract: Contemporary architectural literature is abundant with projects exemplifying the integration of global architecture and modern technology into local characteristics. This approach is known as Critical Regionalist Architecture. However, projects cited in the professional literature that are planned as completed products neglect one of the most prominent characteristics of local architecture: the ability to change and adapt to the varying human and cultural conditions of the residents using them. This paper reviews projects that not only present examples of Critical Regionalist Architecture but are also evolutionary by enabling the making of structural changes over time. The paper discusses sources of inspiration for the planning and answers the following question: what is the connection between a plan that fits the place and a building's ability to constitute a primary basis for future changes?

Abstract: With the rise of globalization, many municipal governments have developed large areas of their cities specifically to attract global capital and labour. While these areas are designed, in part, for a global audience, the fact that physical development is geographically fixed means it is also often used and given meaning by local residents. Although this mixed condition of global and local influences is often described as confrontational, it is possible to merge these influences to create areas that have a hybridized identity that is both local and global. This paper presents the case study of the centrally located and formerly derelict port area of Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Global and local influences are made manifest in the redesign and revitalization of this area through formal characteristics, architectural language, social narratives and the design and planning process. The lessons gleaned from this case study can be used as a strategic foundation for future design and development in ...

Abstract: Chinese cities have experienced unprecedented growth and transformation in the recent decades. Urban expansion into former agricultural land and the incorporation of villages into urbanized areas are commonly observed. This paper focuses on the current city extension of Foshan into the river landscape of the Pearl River Delta. The authors examine a group of water villages that will become part of Foshan's new city centre. A morphological analysis of settlement forms is used in combination with a fluvial morphological analysis of the water system. Through direct observation, select interviews with villagers, mapping and measurements, an international design team developed proposals demonstrating how social and ecological conditions can be incorporated into the design of Foshan's new urban centre, producing a transformation that has roots in the village's essential spatial structure and the functioning of its water system.

Abstract: This paper considers the impact of user-initiated housing extensions on the use, function and appearance of the urban space. Interested in the urban tissue, rather than in single buildings, the paper, based on post-factum evaluation, examines the communal effect of user-initiated extensions, rather than the individual benefits to the household. It seeks to understand the dichotomy between the freedom of owners to transform their dwellings and the negative impact such freedom might have on the quality of the immediate residential environment and on the public domain. The findings indicate that had the residents understood the implications of their actions they would have readily chosen the more burdensome route of design control. This suggests the need to pre-plan and coordinate housing extensions to moderate the negative effects of individual extensions on the public space. Toward this, it is important to include residents in planning processes by involving them in decision-making, informing them about op...

Abstract: Physical planning and design literature is heavily dominated by the contemporary discourse on ‘urban sprawl’, ‘elusive metropolis’ or ‘edgeless cities’. One consequence is that many conventional notions of urban form now tend to be considered outmoded for contemporary urban strategies, such as urban gateway. The main aim of this paper is to elaborate on this view and to explore possibilities for updating the meaning of the concept in the current urban context. The paper examines the transformative connotations of the city gate as both artefact and idea. The concept is then related to the developmental history of Ankara, in order to develop a critical redefinition in a real case. The case discusses the emerging role of the urban gateway concept as popular discourse for a ‘radical urbanist’ approach within the capital city of a rapidly transforming country, Turkey.

Abstract: The aim of this article is to illuminate the effect of morphology and material used in the wallscape of urban space in creating a sense of place. The theoretical discussion is based on the concept of the 'new aesthetic' developed by Gernot Bohme. The case investigated is the town of Stavanger on the southwest coast of Norway. Stavanger was designated one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2008. One of the major projects, Norwegian Wood, was initiated with the intention of exploring the possibilities for future development of the wooden city. The background was the claim of the city to be the largest city of wooden houses in Europe. Stavanger has gone through a transformation in recent years, from being a rather insignificant city, remotely located, to becoming the ‘oil capital’ of Norway, giving rise to robust development and creating a somewhat unmanageable pressure on the development of the existing city. The emphasis on continuity of use of a traditional building material to face the open spaces co...

Abstract: City beaches are produced by spreading sand, deckchairs and umbrellas onto industrial brownfields, parking lots, rights-of-way or other under-utilized open spaces. Where major reinvestment projects are lacking, these informal developments offer great amenity. This approach to placemaking is post-Fordist. It is highly flexible, even mobile. It involves complex, temporary networks of people and resources. It focuses on ‘soft’ content—services, programmes, themes, atmosphere—rather than inflexible built form. This enables rapid innovation. Through four case studies, the paper explores the roles and relationships among diverse actors—city mayors, entrepreneurs, property developers, grass-roots organizations, think-tanks and planners—in the production of city beaches, and identifies what new policies, tools and management approaches they require.

Abstract: As those with planning authority over large areas consider for whom they are planning, it is recommended that the prototypical citizen be an 11–15 year-old person. Some planners have argued for several decades that young people be taken into consideration when planning urban areas. Recent trends in overweight and obesity in young people have focused attention on children's ability to safely navigate the path to school. Environmental psychologists have long pointed out the connection between children's independent travel and self-confidence. However, recent advances in neuropsychiatry indicate the brain is undergoing a second period of growth through adolescence. Furthermore, the areas of the brain related to spatial perception and analysis are growing during this period and subsequent actions hardwire the brain. Therefore, this period of young people's interaction with the environment is a crucial time and cities should be built with that in mind.

Abstract: Urban parks are usually studied as discrete, green public open spaces. Less studied is how parks are geographically distributed from a ‘spatial logic’ point of view, i.e. how they ought to be geographically distributed across the urban landscape. This paper evaluates the degree to which normative principles about park distribution are in evidence from the standpoint of three spatial goals: proximity, diversity and social need. Using Phoenix and Chicago as case studies, it offers an empirical example of how park distribution can be shown to conform (or not) to one or more distributive patterns. Descriptive measures show that Phoenix parks do not conform to any of these three distributional principles, while Chicago parks do somewhat better. In both cities, land uses surrounding parks heavily favour residential uses. In Phoenix, single-family homes are prioritized, making spatial distribution based on proximity, diversity or social need difficult. A strategy for acquiring a better spatial logic, within exis...

Abstract: Our understanding of urban public space has evolved dramatically in recent decades. On the heels of urban race riots and civil strife in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the social sciences—in parti...

Abstract: Peter Marcuse, James Connolly, Johannes Novy, Ingrid Olivo, Cuz Potter & Justin Steil (Eds), Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, London and New York, 2009, 264 pp., ISBN: 13: 978 0 415 77613 4 Tho...

Abstract: This paper presents the results of an empirical study into the role of travel behaviour and socio-demographic factors as determinants of mental map quality. Several interesting findings are reported. In line with previous research, conducted in quite different urban contexts, the study finds that travelling by means of active modes, requiring active navigation of the traveller, leads to higher quality mental maps. Strong effects are found for both the car and bicycle modes (relative to the more passive bus-mode). Furthermore, there appears to be a rather strong correspondence between the stated (or: perceived) and revealed (or: actual) quality of people's mental maps. This correspondence is particularly strong among women and non-residents of the study area.

Abstract: This paper examines how the decentralization of state power and, advent of mayoral elections in Bogota, Colombia, enabled municipal government, with the help of a cadre of professional planners and designers, to transform the city socially and physically by reinventing civil society and public space. Three contiguous mayoral administrations used public space as a setting and tool to reinvent a culture of citizenship as well as to demonstrate competency on behalf of the mayors. The mayors’ strategy was largely successful as Bogota has experienced a move from individualism to collective spirit, and citizens report improvements in civility, friendliness and quality of life. Much of the city's success derives from the vision of the mayors and the important role urban planners and designers provide in implementing that vision. By examining Bogota's transformation, it is possible to better understand how local politicians and planning and design administrators are key to that change.