Learning from the Past and Present for the Future

Public space is the crossroad on which all the sciences and knowledges that are related to cities meet. Since the 1960s and with the emergence of interdisciplinary sciences such as urban design on the one hand and the social changes that have occurred in numerous cities all around the globe on the other, public space has developed from a mere urban concept to a now social, political and economic one. This means that new windows have opened for discovering, analyzing and planning public spaces and enriching our current knowledge about this concept. Considering the huge impact of public space on the continuation of cities’ historical identity and its role in improving quality of life and linking the past to the future as well as the start of the 21st century as an urban era, the necessity of revisiting the concept of and experiences related to public space has gained much more significance. The reason lies with the fact that during the past two decades, urban changes resulting from economic events have led to deep transformations in the nature of public space. Urban experts need to develop a complete, purposeful and effective understanding of the past and the present of public space for any future planning through reviewing the related experiences without burdening themselves with theoretical approaches to the current changes.

With its motto “Public Space: Learning from the Past and Present for the Future”, this conference aims to prepare a ground on which urban experts from all over the world can share their knowledge via analysis of the concept of and experiences related to public space in different cities in relation to urban challenges of the new century.

This conference welcomes papers which are case studies about public spaces in different cities and which analyze the continuity of and the link between the past, the present and the future. It should be remembered that theoretical perceptions result from analysis of the existing realities of public spaces. The topics selected for this conference are suitable premises for reflecting upon the current and future conditions of urban public spaces.