No. 26 (2023): Open spaces for public use as a system: complexity and contradiction

The focus of this issue of Ciudades is on the complexities and contradictions of open (to) public spaces, where the spirit, living or dying, of (urban) life rests, and for which it is hoped that a systemic understanding will facilitate both the analysis and the potential capacity of the whole, greater than that of the parts, to improve our living environments. The contributions presented show that in order to move towards a vital public (and free) open space, multiple commitments are needed, from governance, from technical bodies and administrations, from citizens, from those who use the spaces, and from projects, plans and strategies that do not homogenise subjects or territories.