Spaces

Public space manifests itself as the physical fundament of public life in European democracies. This chapter elaborates on the culture of public space and how it characterises European design. As Europe diverges in political cultures and histories, economies and mentalities, climate and natural conditions, the culture of public space plays out differently at different locations. Landscape architects have adapted public space design repeatedly to the changing circumstances in Europe while building enormous expertise. The projects selected show the ‘quantity of quality’ realised all over the continent, in bigger and smaller cities, for various purposes of public life, in different formal expressions, in single events or according to overarching strategies.