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Title details for Why Public Space Matters by Setha Low - Available

Why Public Space Matters

by Setha Low
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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.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 2, 2022

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780197543757

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780197543757
      • File size: 53181 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      November 1, 2022

      Low (environmental psychology, CUNY; Politics of Public Space) argues that public space can contribute to flourishing in terms of social justice, democracy, health and well-being, play and recreation, informal economy and social capital, sustainability, and cultural identity and place attachment. She supports this sensible argument through a dozen persuasive, if somewhat disconnected, case studies centered in New York and other metro locations, such as San Jos�, Costa Rica, where she and her team interviewed and observed users of public spaces. Jones Beach on Long Island, Tompkins Square in Manhattan, and the Walkway Over the Hudson River are the most memorable settings for these ethnographies. Low skillfully weaves in quotes that capture the joyfulness and belonging made possible by these spaces, plus the ways in which they can devalue and exclude people. Spanning beaches, gardens, parks, plazas, and streets, this introductory survey reveals the impact of public spaces and offers a conceptual framework for understanding them in terms of governance, control, and symbolic meaning. VERDICT Scholarly but still accessible to planners, activists, students, and general readers alike. A thoughtful and engaging exploration of mostly urban public spaces and why they matter for communities that care about socially just, equitable, sustainable, and flourishing societies.--Michael Rodriguez

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      December 1, 2022
      Public spaces can be so easily taken for granted. From the narrowest sidewalk to the most grandiose city plaza, such areas provide countless benefits to individual users and society writ large, yet they often go unnoticed and unappreciated. Anthropologist, environmental psychologist, and director of the Public Space Research Group at the City University of New York, Low illustrates how public spaces provide valuable resources necessary for socially just and environmentally sustainable cities and towns. Among other topics covered in-depth in a deliberate yet approachable manner, Low offers case studies of vibrant public spaces in Jones Beach and Poughkeepsie, New York; examines the vital role these areas play in children's educational and seniors' physical health; and acknowledges the importance of recognizing and preserving public spaces as cultural touchstones. As was categorically demonstrated during various cities' responses to usage restrictions during the pandemic lockdown, public spaces must be adaptable to changing modes of behavior. Low outlines ways in which these crucial spaces can be protected and improved for future community well-being.

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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