The Public Space Issue

The ways our public spaces are used, managed and planned have a massive influence on the factors that make a city a successful place in which to live and work.

So, for this month's edition of Modus, we're switching our focus from the buildings and structures that shape our cities, to the spaces around them.

The rise of privately-owned public spaces, or 'Pops' has prompted some commentators to warn of a growing trend towards restrictive and securitised public spaces. Others argue that cities have always been a patchwork of changing ownership models, and surely it's more important to have the space than none at all? So, what exactly constitutes public space and should we be less concerned about who owns what, and more about how it should be managed?

Also this issue:

• we talk to experts about how to fund and capture the value from our public spaces in the face of dwindling local authority budgets
• we look at how city planners can use the boom in personal data generated by mobile devices to build better public spaces
• we consider the space – and development opportunities – that would be opened up by removing cars from our streets.

If you have any feedback, or insight, on any of the subjects featured in this edition, please share them with us, either by emailing editor@ricsmodus.com, or by tweeting using the hashtag #RICSModus.