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Focusing on urban
public spaces, this review outlines three major perspectives
on public space. The legal–economic perspective
seeks to answer the most questions about public
space (what is it and who pays for it?), thereby laying the
definition and institutional groundwork for other
enquiries. The socio-spatial perspective takes the existence
of public space for granted and is more concerned
with questions of design and application (what does it look
like and how is it used?). Finally, the political perspective
asks about public space’s role in democracy, both
abstract as a site for discuset activities and concretely
as a site of exclusion or empowerment. While these three
perspectives frequently overlap in practice, they are
nonetheless distinguishable in their origins, assumptions
and foci. This discussion thus serves to illustrate the
potential for further cross-disciplinary connections that
would enhance understanding of how public space works
Focusing on urban
public spaces, this review outlines three major perspectives
on public space. The legal–economic perspective
seeks to answer the most questions about public
space (what is it and who pays for it?), thereby laying the
definition and institutional groundwork for other
enquiries. The socio-spatial perspective takes the existence
of public space for granted and is more concerned
with questions of design and application (what does it look
like and how is it used?). Finally, the political perspective
asks about public space’s role in democracy, both
abstract as a site for discuset activities and concretely
as a site of exclusion or empowerment. While these three
perspectives frequently overlap in practice, they are
nonetheless distinguishable in their origins, assumptions
and foci. This discussion thus serves to illustrate the
potential for further cross-disciplinary connections that
would enhance understanding of how public space works
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