About the Book
Drawing from decades of research, Setha Low shows how public space contributes to a flourishing society through promoting social justice and democratic practices. Thriving public spaces also enhance creativity, health, urban resilience, and environmental sustainability. Yet more than ever, public spaces across the world are threatened by urban development, privatization and neglect. Public spaces -- where people from all walks of life play,
work, meet, talk, read, think, debate, and protest -- are vital to a healthy civic life. And, as the eminent scholar of public space Setha Low argues in Why Public Space Matters, even fleeting moments of
visibility and encounter in these spaces tend to foster a broader worldview and our willingness to accept difference. Such experiences also enhance flexible thinking, problem solving, creativity, and inclusiveness. There are many such spaces, but they all enhance social life. Sidewalks and plazas offer business opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurs who cannot afford store space. Public parks have long provided major cultural attractions, from plays to concerts, at little or no cost to the
public. Central squares have a storied tradition as arenas for demonstrations and political protests. Parks and waterways create sustainable greenways, and during disasters, all manner of public
spaces become centers for food delivery and shelter. To illustrate their value, Low draws from decades of research in public spaces across the Americas, from New York to Costa Rica. Yet we are losing public spaces to accelerated urban development and the belief that public spaces are expendable. Just as important is the broad-scale and ongoing privatization of public space by corporate actors. Low explores why public spaces matter today, how they are at risk, and what we
can do about protecting these essential places that support our everyday lives. Finally, she shows how we can work to promote public space protection and expansion at both the grassroots and global
levels. Throughout, she focuses on real public spaces and the people who use them in cities and regions across the Americas, from New Jersey to Costa Rica. A powerful, defining statement on a foundational contributor to healthy civic life, Low's book not only details what we are at risk of losing, but shows us how we can not only stop the losses, but work to expand the number of spaces available to the public.
Table of Contents:
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. Why Does Public Space Matter?
Chapter 2. What is Public Space?
Chapter 3. What if Jones Beach Was Not Public: Social Justice and Belonging on Long Island, New York
Chapter 4. Rebuilding a Bridge and a Community: Health and Resilience at Walkway Over Hudson, Poughkeepsie, New York
Chapter 5. Playing in the Fields of Lake Welch, New Jersey
Chapter 6. Improvising Public Space and the Informal Economy: Sidewalks, Streets and Markets in Buenos Aires, New York City, and Baguio City
Chapter 7. Green Guerillas, Seed Bombs and Granite Gardens: Environmental Sustainability and Public Space in Paris and New York City
Chapter 8. Place attachment and Cultural Identity: Monuments, Parks and Neighborhood Public Space in San José, Costa Rica, and the Statue of Liberty and Battery Park City in New York City
Chapter 9. From the Winter of Despair to the Summer of Euphoria: Public Space During COVID-19 in New York City (2020-2021)
Chapter 10. How to Study Public Space: The Toolkit for the Ethnographic Study of Space (TESS) in Tompkins Square Park, Manhattan, New York City and Other Strategies
Appendices
Appendix 1. Contact, Public Culture and Affect Atmospheres: A Theoretical Framework
Notes
Index
About the Author :
Setha Low received her Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Low is currently Distinguished Professor of Environmental Psychology, Geography, Anthropology, and Women's Studies, and Director of the Public Space Research Group at The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Review :
Building on her groundbreaking earlier works, Low astutely describes public spaces as 'infrastructures of inclusion and exclusion,' where people, politics and place converge and connect, opening spaces for the negotiation and contestation of new public cultures. Focusing on contemporary issues such as racial injustice, climate change, socioeconomic and class inequality, she details ways that public space contributes to the flourishing of individuals, communities, cities and societies
From social justice to ecological sustainability, decades of public space fieldwork are usefully summarized in the latest 'all things public space' from Setha Low. A must have for all students of urbanism.
Most people, when asked their favorite memory of a city, mention public space
In this brilliant and inspirational book, urban ethnographer Setha Low shows us why the stakes of debates about 'public space' in the 21st century could not be more serious and socially significant. In a world where we tend to either take public space for granted or express fear of the potential dangers they might hold, Low uses her nuanced theoretical lens and a variety of compelling ethnographic examples—from New York's Jones Beach and New Jersey's Lake Welch to Hudson Historical Park, Battery Park City after 9/11, and a thoughtful analysis of how the pandemic impacted the use and sense of public space in New York City—to demonstrate that discussions about democracy and social justice should never underestimate the importance of public space for the very sustainability of human life.
Low maintains an accessible style throughout, suitable for general readers, but the material will appeal most to expert scholars and planners. Anyone interested in public spaces will enjoy this book.
Why Public Space Matters isn't just a celebration of public space - it is 40 years of research compiled into a comprehensive exploration of its importance...Low's blend of academic rigor and storytelling makes it accessible to a wide audience, urging us all to take action and make the most of our public spaces.
