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| Public Space |
Of all the
things considered when designing, whether architecture or city planning, among
the most important are private and public space, and the transition between the
two. There are times when the need is
obvious, private space in a residence for instance, and other times when it's
more ambiguous, such as in the case of privately owned public spaces where who
the "public" is can be widely interpreted. The move between private and public spaces
can also vary from a well defined boundary to a more loose transition. These ambiguities are increasing especially
in this time of increased connectivity.
Throughout
history the outdoors has been considered the ultimate public space. For millennia people have gathered outdoors
for the most basic of activities from celebrations, sharing news, preparing and
consuming food, and socializing. Outdoor
public spaces can take many forms, there are spaces that have been deliberately
created for this function and others that have been adopted by the local
population to serve this function. In
our time the manifestation of outdoor public space has largely included public
parks and town squares but also includes the streets and paths that connect us. These are the places that fill with people to
commemorate an event, like the Fourth of July, join a parade, or start a protest. When not used for this type of large scale
function outdoor public spaces offer a place of recreation and relaxation. People often use a public park as one would
use a private yard; reading a book, having a picnic, talking with friends, or
just enjoying the space. Others have
used the town square to sell their wares, provide entertainment, and practice
their right to free speech.
Public space
is key to the health of a community.
While providing a place for the activities mentioned above they also
contribute to public health by providing fresh air and a place to
exercise. Access to public space also
provides the opportunity to be around other people. Humans are social creatures and have a
inherent need to interact. An active
public space can offer this interaction.
Jane Jacobs in her book "The Death and Life of Great American
Cities" spoke of the security active streets offer, illustrating how
public spaces and the surrounding community have a symbiotic relationship. The value of public spaces offer to
individuals and the community as a whole is undeniable.
More recently the shopping mall has become a type of public space. While offering areas for some of the
activities mentioned above the fact that retail centers are technically private
spaces means that we do not necessarily have the same rights as we would in a
truly public space. A discussion of the
pros and cons of this is sure to be a lively one but isn't the subject here so
we'll save it for another time.
Complementing
public space is, of course, private space.
As with public space there are many different scales of private
space. The private space of your
personal bedroom is quite different than the private space of a corporate
office. Regardless of the level of
privacy a private space it is typically smaller than a public space, if for
nothing else than the fact of a lower occupancy. Historically private space has been as small
as a bed or as large as a castle. Either
way it offers security, safety, and a place to rest. Activities that society, or an individual,
has determined are not appropriate for public are carried out in private. Our society values personal space, whether a
child or an adult we all want our own space.
This may be a space used for work, hobbies, self reflection or to wind
down. The best part of private space is
we can do whatever we want. As like
public space, the value of private space is clear.
We seem to be entering an age where these two types of spaces are
overlapping and, in some instances, shifting.
With the increased connectivity of the world and the rise of social
media more and more traditionally public activities are taking place in private
spaces. The news media highlighted the
role social media played during the so called Arab Spring in the Middle East towards
the end of 2010. This specific example
demonstrates an overlap of traditional public and private spaces; people
organizing, from their private space, protests to be carried out in the public
space. Generally this use of technology illustrates
how people with common interests and/or goals can be brought together without
the benefit of proximity, I would consider this one of its primary advantages.
This type of shift in the relationship between public and private
space is illustrated in the fact that people often use their private spaces to communicate
with the public using online public forums.
More often than not the groups organized online or through social media
never meet in a public space, in fact many participants may never leave their
private spaces. I write this now in my
home office, in a room all alone, definitely a private space. Where I start to see this shift as a detriment
is in the fact that everyday people are making "friends" without ever
meeting, while in their private space. While
this may not be harmful in itself, increased connectivity may negatively impact
our interaction with the public. I'll
admit, the interaction available with the use of technology can be productive
it doesn't yet offer the nuance, spontaneity, or physicality of real life
interaction. In the worse cases people
are substituting online communication for real life contact. While this can be quite troubling I don't
think it is common enough to be cause for concern.
Where the biggest risk lies is the reduction of our public
spaces. If large numbers of our
community are filling up on conversation and interaction in virtual public
spaces will they still have a need, or desire, for our physical public spaces? From my own observations it appears that many
people don't want to interact in public.
I understand we don't always want to be social but it seems when walking
on the street or taking public transportation people used to talk to each other
and now they have their heads buried in some sort of device, trying to avoid
the fact that they are in a public space.
I wonder, is one of the core functions of public space, to bring people
together, is starting to disappear? If
it is the blame cannot be put solely on technology, there are other factors, but
I would argue it is the main factor.
Technology has given us many reasons not to use public space. It has increased private mobility with the
automobile, allowing us to travel to distant places without ever having to interact
with someone we don't choose. We now
have abundant at home entertainment with the television and video games so we
don't need to leave the house to have fun.
When I was young outside was my entertainment, many children now stay in
for theirs. Often we don't even need to
leave the house to go shopping. In fact
the rise of social media may be the most beneficial technology for public space,
reminding us that sometimes we need to literally stand together as was seen
during the Arab Spring.
