A New Layer of Public Space: The Case for Activating Urban Rooftops

Underutilised rooftop spaces are attracting more and more interest as a resource for expanding public space in increasingly dense urban environments. Representing up to 25% of the surface area of cities, they are also a potential tool for favouring climate resilience and providing more of the open-air spaces that are so essential in a pandemic. ArchDaily analyses the potential for creating a multi-layered city by means of activating urban rooftops.

How Can Gender Impact the Future of Urban Life?

Do you feel vulnerable as you walk through public spaces? If you are a woman, the odds of answering yes to this question are certainly greater states the article published by Archdaily. Street lighting, bus stops, public restrooms, the way you behave in public environments, and so many other urban activities, have very different implications that touch the issue of gender. So, to imagine egalitarian cities, it’s necessary to persist in a reflection of a gender-oriented approach.

The Pandemic Emptied Europe’s Cities. What Will Bring People Back?

When the coronavirus exploded across Europe in March 2020, city dwellers throughout Europe began to leave, some to avoid the virus, others to escape cramped and pricey apartments or to connect more with the natural world. Now, nearly a year after the first lockdowns, this The New York Times article reflects on worries of a lasting exodus that are pushing urban authorities to address long-festering problems.

The Pandemic, Southern Urbanisms and Collective Life

Gautam Bhan, Teresa Caldeira, Kelly Gillespie and AbdouMaliq Simone

For the majority in cities of the global south, where most urban people in the world live, ‘social distancing’ as prescribed by northern health protocols is just about impossible. In this article Gautam Bhan, Teresa Caldeira, Kelly Gillespie and AbdouMaliq Simone analyse collective life of the urban majority in the massifying cities of the global south.

«Public space is a place to play out who we are as a society»

• Michael Kimmelman

Kimmelman draws attention to the symbolic nature of public space and emphasises the importance of ordinary spaces which are often unappreciated even though they are a true magnet attracting community life.

“The Distinguishing Feature of the European City Is That It Is Made for Pedestrians”

• Dietmar Steiner

Dietmar Steiner, architect and director of the Architekturmuseum Wien, was interviewed by Shared Spaces on the occasion of his visit to the CCCB as a member of the jury for the 2012 European Prize for Urban Public Space.