Definition of public space - What it is, Meaning and Concept

The space is the part that occupies a sensitive object, the capacity of a land or the extension that contains the existing matter. Public , from Latin publĭcus , is an adjective that allows you to name what is manifest, notorious, known or seen by everyone, and what belongs to the whole society and is common to the people.

The space public , therefore, is the place that is open to the entire society , unlike the private space that can be managed or even closed according to interests of its owner.


A public space, therefore, is of state ownership and domain and use of the general population .It can be said, in general, that anyone can move through a public space, beyond the obvious limitations imposed by the law .

Specifically, among the many types of public spaces that exist, the streets, squares, pavilions would stand out Municipal sports, schools, hospitals, libraries, train or bus stations, libraries, highways, roads...


The habitual thing is that the public space is that place destined to the typical social use of urban life, like a park where people can go for recreation or rest.


We must also highlight the existence of an important global recognition.We are referring to the European Prize for Urban Public Space, which aims to praise and recognize the different works that have been carried out in lands of the old continent to be able to create, recover or improve spaces in different cities.


There are several European institutions that support this award, which was launched in 2000 and that in 2014 celebrates its eighth edition.The renovation of the banks of the Ljubjanica river in Slovenia, the restoration of a viewpoint of Barcelona, ​​the improvement of the London Exhibition Road, the remodeling of an old slave pier in the French city of Nantes or the Camping carried out at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid to demand an improvement of the democratic system are some of the initiatives that They have been awarded and mentioned for this recognition.


The public administration is responsible for the regulation and management of public space, setting its conditions of use.The government of the day must guarantee the accessibility of public space to all citizens, without distinctions of any kind.A public space , for example, cannot be closed to a certain social class or to a certain ethnic group.


As a scenario of social interaction , the public space fulfills material functions (by giving physical support to collective activities) and symbolic functions (it allows the exchange and dialogue between community members ).

In addition to all this we should highlight that public space is also a civil association that exists in Venezuela.It is also identified as being independent, non-governmental and non-profit.Its fundamental objective is to work for the promotion and defense of human rights, with special emphasis on freedom of expression and equality.

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