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.
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