Considers the factors that make a city good at facilitating exchange, information flow and everyday interaction. Discusses the ideal of public space and the challenges related to producing functional and successful public spaces in the current urban renaissance. Considers the negative trends within society that are undermining public life. Identifies ten different types of public space user and their motivations. Looks at the different 'hubs' of public life that were identified in the research, which included a car boot sale, an adult learning network, an allotment and a skate park. Discusses the extent to which they provided a platform for the creation of different experiences by different people. Considers how design principles for growing the public life of cities can be put into practice.

The report tracks the public life of three sample cities undergoing regeneration and change, in order to discover the processes by which the public life of cities can be reinvigorated. It is based on theories of co-production and a recognition of the inequalities which can constrain people’s ability to participate in the wider public life of cities. The report is the first of a series of projects in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's Public Spaces Programme. The Programme ties in with the government’s 'liveability' agenda and aims to improve knowledge about the public spaces that people value most and the ways in which they use them.

The report is based on field research including interviews with stakeholders from civic, public and private sector organisations; interviews with members of the public in a range of public spaces; and in-depth studies of over 30 public spaces in the three cities.

Finds that those spaces that most encouraged shared use left room for self-organisation, encouraged a broad range of users by encouraging diverse activities, and made spaces accessible at all times of the day. Argues that cities must recognise the network of public spaces they contain, rather than just focusing on changing or improving individual spaces.

Demos
Ms Melissa Mean (Head of the Self Build Cities Programme, Demos), tel. +44 (0) 20 7367 4200

01/08/2005

A team of researchers from Demos, led by Melissa Mean and Charlie Tims.

research

Urban Policy > Transport and infrastructure > Services & amenities

Public space