Mastalerzh Natalia A
THE CONCEPT OF PUBLIC SPACE AS A STRUCTURAL ELEMENT OF URBAN ENVIRONMENT
Architecton: Proceedings of Higher Education №3 (43) September, 2013
The term “public space” is mostly used in relation to specific urban sites such as square, street or park, where public life typically takes place. The evolution of public areas indicates a high social significance of such places, which maintain the continuity of important urban processes such as reproduction of culture and formation of civil society. In modern-day conditions, a highly urbanized environment is getting filled with patterns of public life, so public space can no longer be considered only in the context of square or park, but presents a developing network throughout the entire urban fabric.
The author has studied the lifestyle of citizens in a large historical city with the aim to identify its areas of social activity. The social and cultural variety of lifestyles in a city is an important characteristic of the phenomenon of city proper, whereby the way the citizens utilize an urban area is a clear indicator of its functioning. The analysis has revealed various examples of public buildings, recreational facilities, streets, “meeting points” and even whole areas that can be qualified as “public space” as a structural element of an urban environment.
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