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Public spaces: General resources

Recommended resources on public space design and planning, the history of public spaces, and other related topics, providing location info for print resources and links for digital resources.

Explore organizations & institutions

Living Space Project, an international “urban place making and green space consultancy and think tank.”

MOVEment Spaces site includes a collection of outdoor projects meant to promote physical activity in urban spaces.

Project for Public Spaces works with communities to develop and sustain public spaces.

The Trust for Public Land identifies, develops and conserves public lands.

Recommended for all architectural research

Public space in history

Bednar, Michael J., L'Enfant's legacy: public open spaces in Washington, D.C., Johns Hopkins University Press, NA9127.W2 B43 2006

Clark, Mary & Alastair Smeaton (editors), The Georgian squares of Dublin: an architectural history, Dublin City Council, NA991.D82 G46 2006

Clemente, Maria Claudia & Francesco Isidori (editors), The architecture of public space, Park Books, NA9053.S6 A73 2023

Hanawalt, Barbara A. & Michael Kobialka (editors), Medieval Practices of Space, University of Minnesota Press, 2000 (via Ebook Central)

Joines-Novotny, Laura, “Czech Town Squares: Ten Spatial Patterns,” Journal of Architectural Education, September 1996, p.22-31

Lennard, Suzanne H. Crowhurst, Genius of the European square: how Europe’s traditional multi-functional squares support social life and civic engagement, International Making Cities Livable Council, HT169.E8 L46 2008

Linebaugh, Peter, Magna Carta Manifesto : Liberties and Commons for All, University of California Press, 2008 (via Ebook Central)

Nevola, Fabrizio, “Surveillance and control of the street in Renaissance Italy,” I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance, September 2013, p.85-106 (via JSTOR)

Park, Sun Young, Ideals of the body: architecture, urbanism, and hygiene in postrevolutionary France, University of Pittsburgh Press, NA2543.S6 P37 2018

Thompson, Homer Armstrong, “The Agora at Athens and the Greek Market Place,” JSAH, December 1954, p.9-14

Zucker, Paul, Town and Square: from the Agora to the village green, M.I.T. Press, NA9070 .Z8 1970

Benjamin, Walter, The arcades project, Belknap Press, PT2603.E445P33513 1999 (see Convolute M, “The Flaneur”)

Benjamin, Walter, “The return of the flaneur,” in Selected writings, PT2603.E455 A26 1996 v.2

Buras, Nir Haim, The art of classic planning: building beautiful and enduring communities, Belknap Press, NA9031 .B875 2019

Gill, Amy (editor), The future of public space, Metropolis Books, HT185 .F88 2017

Glazer, Nathan & Mark Lilla (editors), The public face of architecture: civic culture and public spaces, Free Press; Collier Macmillan, NA9050.5 .P8 1987

Gragg, Randy (editor), Where the revolution began: Lawrence and Anna Halprin and the reinvention of public space, Spacemaker Press, SB470 .H35 W54 2009

Habermas, Jürgen “The Public Sphere” (1973), in Jürgen Habermas on society and politics, Beacon Press, HM24 .H2613 1989

Howard, Hugh, Architects of an American landscape : Henry Hobson Richardson, Frederick Law Olmsted, and the reimagining of America's public and private spaces, Atlantic Monthly Press, NA2543.S6 H685 2022

Lefebvre, Henri, Writings on cities, Blackwell Publishers, HT153.L345 1996

"Public space in transition," Daidalos, #67, 1998 (Theme issue)

"Rethinking public space," Journal of Architectural Education, September 1995 (Theme issue)

Sennett, Richard, The conscience of the eye: the design and social life of cities, W. W. Norton, HT231 .S458 1992

Sorkin, Michael, Variations on a theme park: the new American city and the end of public space, Hill and Wang, HT123.V37 1992

Whyte, William Hollingsworth, Social life of small urban spaces, Conservation Foundation, HT153.W49 2001

Worpole, Ken, Here comes the sun: architecture and public space in twentieth-century European culture, Reaktion, NA9183 .W37 2000

Anglès, Magda (editor), In favour of public space: ten years of the European Prize for Urban Public Space, ACTAR, NA9053. S6 I37 2010

Appleton, Josie, “The end of public space,” Architectural Review, February 2014, v.235, #1404, p.18-19

Herzog, Lawrence A., Return to the center: culture, public space, and city building in a global era, University of Texas Press, 2006 (via Ebook Central)

Keller, Lisa, Triumph of order: democracy and public space in New York and London, Columbia University Press, 2010 (via Ebook Central)

Kingwell, Mark & Patrick Turmel (editors),  Rites of way: the politics and poetics of public space, Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2009 (via Ebook Central)

Madanipour, Ali (editor), Whose public space? : international case studies in urban design and development, Routledge, HT155 .W48 2010

Miller, Kristine F., Designs on the public: the private lives of New York's public spaces, University of Minnesota Press, 2007 (via Ebook Central)

Morrill, Calvin, et al (editors), Together alone: personal relationships in public places, University of California Press, 2005 (via Ebook Central)

North, Alissa, Operative landscapes: building communities through public space, Walter de Gruyter, 2013 (via Ebook Central)

Orvell, Miles & Jeffrey L. Meikle, Public space and the ideology of place in American culture, Editions Rodopi, 2009 (via Ebook Central)

Project for Public Spaces, Inc., How to turn a place around: a handbook for creating successful public spaces, Project for Public Spaces, HT123. P76 2000

Rykwert, Joseph, The seduction of place: the city in the twenty-first century, Pantheon Books, HT151 .R93 2000

Simpson, Deane, et al (editors), The city between freedom and security: contested public spaces in the 21st century, Birkhäuser, HT185 .C576 2017

Verb, Conditioning: the design of new atmospheres, effects and experiences, ACTAR, NA687 .C66 2005

Specialized resources on related topics

Amster, Randall, Street People and the Contested Realms of Public Space, LFB Scholarly Publishing, 2004 (via Ebook Central)

Cherry, Nathan, “Design for revolution: what Cairo's Al Tahrir Square teaches us about the organization of public space,” Planning, April 2011, p.22-24

Hepard, Benjamin Heim & Gregory Smithsimon, Beach beneath the streets: contesting New York City’s Public Spaces, State University of New York Press, 2011 (via Ebook Central)

Hung, Wu, Remaking Beijing: Tiananmen Square and the creation of a political space, University of Chicago Press, NA9072.B45 T539 2005

Merwood-Salisbury, Joanna, “Patriotism and Protest: Union Square as Public Space, 1832–1932,” JSAH, December 2009, p.540-559 (via JSTOR)

Sharp, Deen & Claire Panetta (editors), Beyond the square: urbanism and the Arab uprisings, Terreform, Inc., DS63.123 .B49 2016

Simpson, Deane, et al. (editors), The city between freedom and security: contested public spaces in the 21st century, Birkhäuser, HT185 .C576 2017

Walkowitz, Daniel J. & Lisa Maya Knauer, Memory and the impact of political transformation in public space, Duke University Press, NA9345 .M46 2004

Casanova, Helena, Public space acupuncture: strategies and interventions for activating city life, Actar, 2014

Crankshaw, Ned, Creating vibrant public spaces: streetscape design in commercial and historic districts, Island Press, 2009 (via Ebook Central)

Curnier, Sonia, Universal singular : public space design of the early 21st century, Birkhauser, NA9053.S6 C87 2023

Fernández Per, Aurora & Javier Mozas (editors), Strategy and tactics in public space, A+T architecture, SB472.7 .S79 2012

Gehl, Jan, Life between buildings: using public space, Island Press, 2011 (via Ebook Central)

Heiss, Oliver, et al., Barrier-free design: principles, planning, examples, Birkhäuser Edition Detail, NA2542.4 .H45 2010

Lefaivre, Liane, Ground-up city: play as a design tool, 010 Publishers, GV425 .L44 2007

Silva, Elisa, Pure space : expanding the public sphere through public space transformations in Latin American spontaneous settlements, Actar Publishers, NA9053.S6 S58 2020

Tschumi, Bernard, Event-cities 2, MIT Press, NA1353.T82 A4 2000

Busquets, Joan (editor), Cities x lines: a new lens for the urbanistic project, Nicolodi Editore, NA9095 .C58 2006

Forsyth, Ann, Designing small parks: a manual addressing social and ecological concerns, J. Wiley, SB482.A4 F68 2005

Lindner, Christoph & Brian Rosa, Deconstructing the High Line : postindustrial urbanism and the rise of the elevated park, Rutgers University Press, F128.65.H54 D43 2016

Mayne, Thom, Combinatory urbanism: the complex behavior of collective form, Stray Dog Café, NA737.M72 A4 2011

Muschamp, Herbert, The once and future park, Princeton Architectural Press, SB481.A2 O53 1993

Reed, Peter Shedd, Groundswell : constructing the contemporary landscape, The Museum of Modern Art, SB472.45.R4 2005

Aymonino, Carlo, Piazze d'Italia, Electa, NA1123.A9 A4 1988

Cerver, Francisco Asensio, City squares and plazas, Arco, NA9070.A84

Clark, Mary & Alastair Smeaton (editors), The Georgian squares of Dublin: an architectural history, Dublin City Council, NA991.D82 G46 2006

Estrada, William David, Los Angeles Plaza: Sacred and Contested Space, University of Texas Press, 2008 (via Ebook Central)

Garcia-Domenech, Sergio, “Urban aesthetics and social function of actual public space: a desirable balance,” Theoretical and Empirical Researchers in Urban Management, November 2015, p.54-65 (via JSTOR)

Gatje, Robert F., Great public squares: an architect’s selection, W. W. Norton & Co., NA9070 .G37 2010

Lennard, Suzanne H. Crowhurst, Genius of the European square: how Europe’s traditional multi-functional squares support social life and civic engagement, International Making Cities Livable Council, HT169.E8 L46 2008

Moughtin, Cliff, Urban design: street and square, Taylor & Francis Group, 2003 (via Ebook Central)

Nuvolari, Francesco (editor), Le Piazze: storia e progetti, Electa, NA9070.A59 P52 1989

"Plazas of Southern Europe," Process Architecture, NA6.P94 no. 016 (whole issue)

Sarkis, Hashim, et al (editors), Two squares : Martyrs Square, Beirut, and Sirkeci Square, Istanbul, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design, NA9053.S6 T86 2006

Wolfrum, Sophie (editor), Squares: urban spaces in Europe, Birkhäuser, 2015 (via Ebook Central)

Ferry, Robert & Elizabeth Monoian, (editors), Return to the source : new energy landscapes from the Land Art Generator Initiative : Abu Dhabi, Prestel, TJ807.9.U5 R48 2020

Hunt, Jeremy & Jonathan Vickery, “Public art in the 21st century,” June 2011 (via Grove Art Online)

Paul 107, All city: the book about taking space, Independent Publishers Group, 2003 (via Ebook Central)

Reed, Peter Shedd, Groundswell: constructing the contemporary landscape, Museum of Modern Art (New York), SB472.45.R4 2005

Urbonas, Gediminas, et al (editors), Public space?: lost and found, SA+P Press, MIT School of Architecture + Planning, NA9053.S6 P827 2014

Walkowitz, Daniel J. & Lisa Maya Knauer, Memory and the impact of political transformation in public space, Duke University Press, NA9345 .M46 2004

Zebracki, Martin, Public artopia: art in public space in question, Amsterdam University Press, 2012 (via Ebook Central)

Bollier, David & Silke Helfrich, The wealth of the commons : a world beyond market and state, The Commons Strategies Group; Levellers Press, HD1286 .W42 2012

Bussard, Katherine A., et al, The city lost & found : capturing New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, 1960-1980, Princeton University Art Museum, N8217.C35 B87 2014

Mottel, Syeus, CHARAS : the improbable dome builders, Pioneer Works Press; The Song Cave, HN45.N4 M67 2017

Reclaiming Public Space (Civic Design Center, Nashville, Tennessee)

Anderson, Stanford (editor), On Streets, MIT Press, HE331.O5

Bain, Lesley, Living streets: strategies for crafting public space, John Wiley & Sons, HT165.5 .B35 2012

Bharne, Vinavak, “The Japanese street in space and time,” in Zen spaces and neon places: reflections on Japanese architecture and urbanism, Applied Research + Design Publishing, NA1550 .B53 2014

Çelik, Zeynep, et al, Streets: critical perspectives on public space, University of California Press, NA9053.S7 S82 1994

Devabhaktuni, Sony, Curb-scale Hong Kong [SAR] : infrastructures of the street, Applied Research and Design Publishing, NA9053.S7 D49 2022

Jacobs, Jane, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Vintage Books, NA9108.J3 1961

Kostoff, Spiro, The City Assembled, Bullfinch Press, HT111.K625 1992 (Part 4, "The Street")

Ladd, Brian, The streets of Europe : the sights, sounds, and smells that shaped its great cities, The University of Chicago Press, HT153 .L265 2020

Laitinen, Rita & Thomas Cohen, Cultural history of early modern European streets, BRILL, 2008 (via Ebook Central)

Moughtin, Cliff, Urban design: street and square, Taylor & Francis Group, 2003 (via Ebook Central)

National Association of City Transportation Initiative, Designing streets for kids, Island Press, NA9053.S7 D474 2020

Rudofsky, Bernard, Streets for people: a primer for Americans, Doubleday & Company, NA9053.S7R8

Sennett, Richard, Flesh and Stone, W. W. Norton, HT113.S45 1994 (Chapter 8, "Arteries and Veins")

Southworth, Michael, Streets and the shaping of towns and cities, Island Press, 2003 (via Ebook Central)

Trachtenberg, "Streets, Monumental Architecture and the New Towns," in Dominion of the Eye, Cambridge University Press, NA9070.T73 1997

Vidler, Anthony, The scenes of the street and other essays, Monacelli Press, NA9197 .V54 2011

Albrechtslund, Anders & Ryberg, Thomas, “Participatory surveillance in the intelligent building,” Design Issues, Summer 2011, p.35-46 (via JSTOR)

Cruz, Teddy, “From Washington, D.C., to the Emergent American Neighborhood: Strategies of Surveillance, Tactics of Encroachment,” Perspecta, 2007, #39, p.150-161

Graham, Stephen, Cities under siege: the new military urbanism, Verso, HT151 .G66 2011

Hier, Sean P., Panoptic dreams: streetscape video surveillance in Canada, UBC Press, 2011 (via Ebook Central)

Marquez, Xavier, “Spaces of appearance and spaces of surveillance,” Polity, January 2012, p.6-31 (via JSTOR)

Yesil, Bilge, Video Surveillance: power and privacy in everyday life, LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC, 2009 (via Ebook Central)

The term "third place", coined by sociologist Ray Oldenburg, refers to spaces other than home (first place), and traditional work spaces (second place), in which people congregate. Examples include: "churches, cafes, clubs, public libraries, parks, gyms, bookstores, stoops and parks." (Wikipedia)

 

Bokov, Anna, Lessons from the social condensers : 101 Soviet workers' clubs and spaces of mass assembly, gta Verlag, NA1188 .B65 2023

Conti, Allie, "Do yourself a favor and go find yourself a "third place," The Atlantic, April 4, 2022

Kinder, Kimberley, The radical bookstore : counterspace for social movements, University of Minnesota Press, 2021

Oldenburg, Ray, The great good place : cafes, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons, and other hangouts at the heart of a community, Berkshire Publishing, HT123 .O53 2023

University of Arkansas Community Design Center, Houses for aging socially : developing third place ecologies, ORO Editions, HD7287.9 .U59 2017

Vos, Aat, How to create a relevant public space, nai010 Publishers, NA9053.S6 V67 2017

Aurigi, Alessandro, Making the digital city: the early shaping of urban Internet space, Routledge, 2016 (via Ebook Central)

Mahdavi, Mojdeh & Liang Wang (editors), New Geographies, 12: Commons, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, NA9000 .N49 2021 #12

Nunes, Mark, Cyberspaces of Everyday Life University of Minnesota Press, 2006 (via Ebook Central)

Presner, Todd Samuel, et al., HyperCities: thick mapping in the digital humanities, Harvard University Press, 2014, AZ186 .P74 2014

Rheingold, Howard, The Virtual Community, http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/

Sharp, Deen & Claire Panetta (editors), Beyond the square: urbanism and the Arab uprisings, Terreform, Inc., DS63.123 .B49 2016

Webber, Melvin M., "Community without propinquity," in Cities and Space, edited by Lowdon Wingo, Jr., Johns Hopkins Press, HT166.C47

Alternative keywords for searching

Centers, Cities, Cities and towns, City Beautiful movement, City blocks, City planning, City planning, Civic centers, Civic improvement, Civilization, Downtowns, Environmental psychology, Historic towns, Megalopolis, Metropolitan areas, Plazas, Polis, Power centers, Public spaces, Public squares, Sectors, Squares, Surveillance, Sustainability, Theming, Transportation corridors, Urban beautification, Urban design, Urban forms, Urban fringes, Urban geography, Urban history, Urban homesteading, Urban Land Institute, Urban parks, Urban planning, Urban pollution, Urban renewal, Urban space, Urban sprawl, Urban studies, Urban transportation, Urban villages, Urbanism, Urbanization

Please note

  • These guides are intended to provide initial orientation, and suggest a variety of different lines of investigation—not take the place of individual research.
  • All the resources cited here--print and digital--are available through the Kappe Library at SCI-Arc.Items not available at SCI-Arc are not included.
  • Surveys covering multiple projects are preferred over monographic studies focusing on specific works or individuals.
  • Resources on Los Angeles and Southern California are stressed.
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