A public space or a public place is a place where anyone has a right to be without being excluded because of economic or social conditions, although this may not always be the case in practice. Socioeconomics or socio-economics is the study of the relationship between economic activity and Social life. One of the earliest examples of public spaces are commons. Common land (a common) is a piece of land owned by one person but over which other people can exercise certain traditional rights such as allowing their livestock to graze For example, no fees or paid tickets are required for entry, nor are the entrants discriminated based on background. A ticket is a Voucher to indicate that one has paid for Admission to an event or establishment such as a Theatre, Movie theater, Amusement Unlike most discrimination policies discrimination between, which is the discernment of qualities and recognition of the differences focused here discrimination against is Non-government-owned malls are examples of 'private space' with the appearance of being 'public space'.
Public Space has also become something of a touchstone for critical theory in relation to philosophy, (urban) geography, visual art, cultural studies, social studies and urban design. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena The visual arts are art forms that focus on the creation of works which are primarily Visual in nature such as Painting, Photography Cultural studies is an academic discipline which combines Political economy, Communication, Sociology, Social theory, Literary theory Social Studies is a term used to describe the broad study of the various fields which involve past and current human behavior and interactions Urban design concerns the arrangement appearance and functionality of towns and cities and in particular the shaping and uses of urban Public space. Its relevance seems to become more pressing as capital encloses more and more of what were thought of as 'commons'. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where The term 'Public Space' is also often misconstrued to mean other things such as 'gathering place', which is an element of the larger concept. A gathering place is any place where people are able to congregate
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Definition
Areas of usage
Most streets, including the pavement are considered public space, as are town squares or parks. A street is a Public thoroughfare in the built environment It is a Public parcel of land adjoining Buildings in an urban context A sidewalk (chiefly North American English) pavement ( British English and Philadelphia dialect) footpath ( Australian English Public square and city square redirect here For Public Square Cleveland see Public Square and for City Square in Leeds see Leeds City Square. A park is a protected area of Land and Water, usually in its natural or semi-natural (landscaped state and set aside for some purpose often to do with human Government buildings, such as public libraries and many other similar buildings are also public space. A public library (also called circulating library) is a Library which is accessible by the Public and is generally funded from public sources (such However, not all state-owned buildings fall under such a definition.
Some parks, malls, waiting rooms, etc, are closed at night. As this does not exclude any specific group, it is generally not considered a restriction on public use. Entry to public parks can be restricted based upon a user's residence. [1]
In Nordic countries like Norway, Sweden and Finland, all nature areas are considered public space, due to a law, the allemansrätten (everyone's-right). Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. The freedom to roam, or everyman's right is a term describing the general public's right to access certain public or privately owned land for recreation and Exercise
Related rights
In the United States, one's presence in a public space may give him or her certain rights not otherwise vested. In a public space, known as a public forum, the government cannot usually limit one's speech beyond what is reasonable (that is, screaming epithets at passers-by can be stopped; proselytizing one's religion probably cannot). A public forum is a United States constitutional law term that describes a government -owned property which is open to public expression and assembly In a private—that is, non-public—forum, the government can control one's speech to a much greater degree; for instance, protesting one's objection to medicare reform will not be tolerated in the Pentagon. This is not to say that the government can control what you say in your own home or to others; it can only control government property in this way. In some cases, privately-owned property can be considered a public forum. England, too, has a tradition of public spaces permitting public speech, at Speakers' Corner, for example. A Speakers' Corner is an area where Public speaking is allowed
In general, there is no expectation of privacy in a public space. Expectation of privacy is a concept which is crucial in the defining of the scope of the applicability of Privacy laws A subjective expectation of privacy is an
Eating and drinking in an outside public place during Ramadan in an Islamic country is sometimes not appreciated. Ramadan or Ramazan ( Arabic: رمضان Ramaḍān) is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic
Public spaces are attractive for budget tourists and homeless people, especially those that are relatively comfortable, e. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Homelessness is the condition and social category of people who lack housing because they cannot afford or are otherwise unable to maintain regular safe and adequate shelter g. a shopping center that provides shelter and, in a cold climate, is heated (or cooled in a hot climate).
Controversy and Privatization
Whilst it is generally considered that everyone has a right to access and use public space, as opposed to private space which may have restrictions, there has been some academic interest in how public spaces are managed to exclude certain groups - specifically homeless[2] people and young[3] people. Leyton Marshes are located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest at Leyton. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
Measures are taken to make the public space less attractive to them, including the removal or design of benches to restrict their use for sleeping and resting, restricting access to certain times, locking indoor/enclosed areas. Police forces are sometimes involved in moving 'unwanted' members of the public from public spaces. In fact, by not being provided suitable access, disabled people are implicitly excluded from some spaces.
Further, beginning roughly in the 1960s, the wholesale privatization of public space (especially in urban centers) has become a fact of western society, and has faced criticism from citizen groups such as the Open Spaces Society. Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of business from the Public sector (government to the Private sector (business The Open Spaces Society is a UK campaign group to protect public rights of way and Common land. Private-public partnerships have taken significant control of public parks and playgrounds through conservancy groups set up to manage what is considered unmanageable by public agencies. Corporate sponsorship of public leisure areas is ubiquitous, giving open space to the public in exchange for higher air rights. Air rights are a type of development right in Real estate. Generally speaking owning or renting land or a Building gives one the right to use and develop the empty This facilitates the construction of taller buildings with private parks; accessible only to those deemed fit. In one of the newer incarnations of the private-public partnership, the business improvement district (BID), private organizations are allowed to tax local businesses and retail establishments so that they might provide special private services such as policing and increased surveillance, trash removal, or street renovation, all of which once fell under the control of public funds and thus public interests. A business improvement district ( BID) is a Public-private partnership in which businesses in a defined area elect to pay an additional tax in order to fund improvements Clearly these services are necessary; the methods by which they are provided can be debated but not their ultimate utility. Additionally, public areas facilitate public interaction, and their existence can scarcely be questioned in democratic states; we may debate how they are provided, but to question their utility would seem to question our basic rights. Privatization of public amenities should not go unnoticed, whether in this form or the tacit co-opting of sights and sounds known as advertising. Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand
'Semi-public' spaces
A broader meaning of public space or place includes also places where everybody can come if they pay, like a café, train, movie theater or brothel. A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue For the 2008 film of this name see The Brothel. For the television series of this name see Cathouse The Series. A shop is an example of what is intermediate between the two meanings: everybody can enter and look around without obligation to buy, but activities unrelated to the purpose of the shop are not unlimitedly permitted.
The halls and streets (including skyways) in a shopping center may or may not be declared a public place and may or may not be open when the shops are closed. Several things are commonly known as Halls or halls. For the development of meaning of the word 'hall' see Hall (concept. Early examples of skywalks Copenhagen, Denmark: skywalk connecting courts building to adjacent uses 18th century Faaborg A shopping mall or shopping centre is a building or set of buildings that contain Retail units with interconnecting Walkways enabling visitors Similarly for halls, railway platforms and waiting rooms of public transport; sometimes a travelling ticket is required. A railway platform is a section of pathway alongside Rail tracks at a Train station, Metro station or Tram stop, at which passengers may board A waiting room is a building or more commonly a part of a building where people sit or stand until the event they are waiting for occurs A public library is also more or less a public place. A public library (also called circulating library) is a Library which is accessible by the Public and is generally funded from public sources (such A rest stop or truck stop is a public space. A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a Highway, Expressway A truck stop is a commercial facility that provides fuel parking and usually food and other services to long-haul trucks
For these semi-public spaces stricter rules may apply than outside, e. g. regarding dress code, trading, begging, advertising, propaganda, riding rollerskates, skateboards, a Segway, etc. Clothing is an aspect of Human physical appearance, and like other aspects of human physical appearance it has social significance Trade is the willing exchange of goods, services, or both Trade is also called Commerce. "Beggar" redirects here Distinguish from Begga and Bega. Advertising is a form of Communication that typically attempts to persuade potential Customers to Purchase or to consume more of a particular Brand Propaganda is a concerted set of messages aimed at influencing the opinions or behaviors of large numbers of people Roller skating is the Traveling on smooth terrain with roller skates The Segway PT is a two-wheeled, self-balancing Electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen.
Examples
Typical differences between a public space and a private space are illustrated by comparing sitting on a public bench and sitting on a seat in a sidewalk cafe:
- In the first case, usage costs nothing, in the second it requires a purchase to be made. A sidewalk cafe (sometimes called a pavement cafe or Patio) is an outdoor part of a Coffeehouse or Cafe.
- In the first case, there is no time limitation (though loitering laws might apply), while in the second, money has to be spent at certain intervals. Loitering (ˈlɔɪtərɪŋ is an Intransitive verb meaning to stand idly to stop numerous times or to delay and procrastinate
- In the first case, one is allowed to consume brought-along food and drink (alcohol consumption laws may restrict this), in the second case, this is usually prohibited.
- In the first case, only general laws apply in terms of dress (such as prohibition of public nudity) and other aspects of public decency, in the second, stricter rules (such as a prohibition of being shirtless) may apply. Public nudity or nude in public (NIP refers to Nudity not in an entirely private context Public indecency refers to activity prohibited by the Law in many locations Bare-chested refers to the state in which a man or boy is not wearing any clothes above the Waist, usually in a Public place, exposing the torso and arms
Footnotes
- ^ Foothills Park closed to non-residents
- ^ Illegal to be Homeless. National Coalition for the Homeless (2004).
- ^ Malone, K. "Children, Youth and Sustainable Cities". Local Environment 6 (1).
References
- 1. Illegal to be Homeless. National Coalition for the Homeless (2004).
- 2. Malone, K. "Children, Youth and Sustainable Cities". Local Environment 6 (1).
- 3. "Conclusions of the International Seminar on the Planning of Collectively-Used Spaces in Towns", in: Monumentum (Louvain), Vol. 18-19, 1979, pp. 129-135.
See also
- Busking
- Enclosure
- Guerrilla gardening
- Principles of Intelligent Urbanism
- Public indecency
- Public display of affection
- Public art
- Public nudity
- Street photography
- Toronto Public Space Committee
- Urban design
External links
- European Archive Of Urban Public Space
- A paper of Setha Low about the transformation of public space in Latin America
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