Rethinking Public Space: (Rethinking Urban and Regional Studies series)

Taking a critical perspective, this book rethinks public space in the context of contemporary global health and economic crises, as well as technological, political and cultural change. In order to do so, Ali Madanipour brings together two often unrelated discourses: public space and social inclusion, interrogating the potential for public spaces to contribute to inclusive social practices. Organized in two parts, the book first highlights various common meanings and philosophical concepts of public space, examining them in their constitution and application. Madanipour runs these concepts past the test of social practice, through the economic, political and cultural dimensions of social exclusion and inclusion. Chapters further analyse public space in its different forms: physical, institutional and technological, offering a wide-ranging and thought-provoking take on the concept. Timely and innovative, this book will be an invigorating read for urban studies, planning and human geography scholars, particularly those focusing on public space, social inclusion and urban processes.

Table of Contents:
Contents: 1. Public space: the case for rethinking PART I CONCEPTS OF PUBLIC SPACE 2. Similarities and differences 3. Space: embodied, embedded, and unfolding 4. Public: totality, authority, and openness 5. Between generality, particularity, and singularity PART II PUBLIC SPACE AND SOCIAL INCLUSION 6. Public space as resource 7. Public space as power 8. Public space as experience 9. Conclusion: public space as inclusive space References Index

About the Author :
Ali Madanipour, Professor of Urban Design, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University, UK

Review :
‘The book can be a practical starting point for researchers and practitioners who hope to understand what public space means on a theoretical level. Its extensive analysis can also be applied to various disciplines and research areas. Researchers interested in the conceptualisation of public space can use this book as a basis for literature reviews and philosophical understanding. For professionals involved with public space, especially policymakers and urban planners, this book can be a valuable resource for understanding public space development and its social implications.’ ‘Rethinking Public Space is thick with content and this short review can barely do justice to even one aspect of the text. The book is an advanced-level text that is suitable for scholars and researchers in public space along with graduate students studying the social, political, and material aspects of cities and urban life. Although the writing is rich with multiple complex social, political, and cultural contexts and concepts that are interwoven, the text remains free of jargon making it very accessible.’ ‘The COVID-19 pandemic, social movements and communications technologies have reshaped the nature of public urban space and public life. In this extraordinarily erudite examination, Professor Madanipour draws together the observations of philosophers and researchers on the meaning of public space and of accessibility to it. He does so in a manner highly informative for anyone interested in civic life, present and future.’