Topic: Public space

10 ideas to transform the future of public spaces

African public spaces are complex, especially so against the backdrop of fast urbanising cities and increasing socio-economic volatility. Public space in South Africa was, and in some instances still remains, a contentious issue due to apartheid spatial planning...Read more
|Comment|author: Future Cape Town

Pixelating our playgrounds

As parents, consumers, and citizens, how should we respond to the rise of digital technology in our parks? Children’s playgrounds are becoming increasingly digitised through the ubiquity of mobile devices and interactive games. Anyone with a...Read more
|Comment|author: Linda McSweeny

Architects reactivate space through play

Underused public spaces in Mexico City are to be reimagined by the winners of an innovative ‘Urban Toys’ competition to find the most playful designs. Karina Zatarain reports How can play areas in cities open up new ways to...Read more
|Comment|author: Karina Zatarain

Privatising public space ‘a democratic deficit’

The Guardian newspaper reports that many of Britain’s largest cities are refusing to reveal information regarding the private ownership of seemingly public spaces, fuelling concerns about a growing democratic deficit within local city government. A Guardian...Read more
|Comment|author: Adrian Voce

Spatial stories of Dublin’s youth

During winter and spring of this year, a Dublin-based group of young people aged 16 and 17 came together to explore and share their everyday experiences of public space. Researcher Jackie Bourke takes up the...Read more
|Comment|author: Jackie Bourke

Age diversity for social cohesion

Creating public space that encourages social integration has never been more important. Here, Samuel Williams of planning specialists Arup, explains why child-friendly cities must adopt inter-generational design principles. ‘Designing cities for all’ is easy to say but if...Read more
|Comment|author: Samuel Williams

Putting children and families first in North Vancouver

This is the first in a three-part series  by the Canadian urbanist and writer, Jillian Glover: “Cities for Children and Families”. The series will showcase how local governments, non-profits and developers, in Canada and around the world, are...Read more
|Comment|author: Jillian Glover

Integrating play space within the public realm

The Täby Torg project, located in Sweden is a multifunctional public plaza organised into six individual squares. The Polyform Architects main concept was to create a ‘Space of Opportunities’: a dynamic public space where city...Read more
|Comment|author: Maria Sitzoglou