The philosopher Srećko Horvat warns that privatisation and increasing control of public spaces could mean the end of democracy.
Professor Vanderlinden warns of the vulnerability of public space in cities during heat waves brought about by climate change.
The sociologist speaks of public spaces that presently interest him, namely long-neglected places that help immigrants to feel at home. His favourite public space is a square near where he lives in London.
For this Catalan geographer, the European city consists of a set of public spaces and these must speak to us in new languages and invite us to think because, in short, these are the spaces which help the citizen to see things differently.
Fuses says that, in the twenty-first century, public space is no longer to be found at strictly architectural levels and calls for spaces in which architecture takes on an anonymous quality.
The Catalan writer reflects upon the volatile, precarious situation of housing, which has turned public space into a refuge. She also notes that the city has something in common with the prison when it does not have clear limits.
The British writer and journalist explains that public space should be social and accessible to everyone and describes the consequences of burgeoning private property
The German sociologist endorses the role of cities and cosmopolitanism as a way of reinforcing the idea of citizenship and its role in constructing a shared future.
The architect and urban planner talks about what public space is and how to interpret it as a whole within a wider network. His favourite public space is in northern Italy, the main street of Vicenza, any afternoon, when it is full of people walking around.