Public Spaces of European Cities

Abstract

Public spaces of the city have moved up to the top of the agendas
of city authorities, private sector developers, and built environment
professionals. Once they were merely considered as spaces leftover
after development, while now public spaces have climbed the ladder
of significance to become a key focus in the transformation of cities.
This paper aims to explore the reasons behind this rising significance,
and to develop a platform for debate and research into public spaces
of cities. It starts by a discussion of the theoretical frameworks that need
to be taken into account in analysing the urban space, before addressing
some of the main themes and issues about the subject, including threats
to and challenges facing urban public spaces in Europe.