Edward Elgar Publishing Rethinking Public Space (Rethinking Urban and Regional Studies series)

Taking a critical perspective, this book rethinks public space in the context of contemporary global health and economic crises, as well as technological, political and cultural change. In order to do so, Ali Madanipour brings together two often unrelated discourses: public space and social inclusion, interrogating the potential for public spaces to contribute to inclusive social practices. Organized in two parts, the book first highlights various common meanings and philosophical concepts of public space, examining them in their constitution and application. Madanipour runs these concepts past the test of social practice, through the economic, political and cultural dimensions of social exclusion and inclusion. Chapters further analyse public space in its different forms: physical, institutional and technological, offering a wide-ranging and thought-provoking take on the concept. Timely and innovative, this book will be an invigorating read for urban studies, planning and human geography scholars, particularly those focusing on public space, social inclusion and urban processes.