Delft University of Technology (TU Delft / The Netherlands) will hold a two-day international seminar on Public Space. It will bring together scholars from fields of architecture, sociology, urban geography, cultural anthropology, and spatial planning. The aim of the seminar is to share international and interdisciplinary perspectives in studies of public space, through the themes of public space and neighbourhood quality, public space interventions and politics of public space.

The seminar will be dedicated to the presentation and discussion of high quality papers of ranking scholars and PhD students in the field. In addition, the seminar includes a field-trip to various ‘public space-scenes’ in the city of Rotterdam.

Call for Papers
Schedule
01 December 2008: Abstract submission (max.150 words)
15 December 2008: announcement of the participants
27 February 2008: Submission of the papers

Registration Fee
Participants with / without paper presentations: 100 Euros

Squares, city parks, public streets, plazas, quays - in theory they are open to everybody. However, their public character is under pressure. Public spaces are being privatised and are increasingly put under tight surveillance to improve security. The quality of public space as space of everyday encounters is at risk. This is even more problematic considering our diversifying urban population. What are the consequences of these risks for public life? How is the right of different urban groups to use and represent themselves in public space maintained and strengthened by spatial and social interventions? These are the leading questions in the TU Delft PhD seminar on Public Space.

The seminars are organized into three workshops over two days.

The first workshop of the seminar, "Public Space and Neighbourhood Quality" seeks to investigate the relations between public space and neighbourhood qualities. Neighbourhood quality is mostly argued in terms of residential qualities, particularly in countries which have a strong social housing tradition, such as the Netherlands. However, the significance of public space for the construction of social relationships, public familiarity and ‘feeling at home’ is hardly addressed. This workshop aims to focus on the neglected role of public space for neighbourhood quality.

The second workshop, Politics of Public Space" aims to discuss the making and re-making processes of public space as a consequence of intense political struggle between different modes of power. It addresses academic and non-academic debates on the transformation of public space from spaces of appearance to fragmented spaces of control by illustrating the conflicts and struggles of micro and macro politics through examples from real events and locations.

The third workshop, "Public Space" Interventions aims to address innovative urban interventions which introduce meaningful relations to urban public space and increase the quality of urban public life. Ongoing projects and proposals for interventions which translate spatial, social and political theories to the practice of public space is the particular focus of this workshop.

Papers on related themesare called, each will be presented and discussed in three workshops during the seminar led by established scholars working in these fields. Seminar papers will be considered for publication in special editions of two international refereed academic journals, Journal of Urbanism and Journal of Planning Practice and Research.

"Public Space & Neighbourhood Quality"
Prof. Talja Blokland (Delft University of Technology, OTB - Research Institute for Housing, Mobility and Urbanism)

"Public Space Interventions"
Prof. Matthew Carmona (University College of London, Bartlett School of Planning)

"Politics of Public Space"
Prof. Rob Shields (University of Alberta - Canada, Department of Sociology, Faculty of Arts)

Organization
Ceren Sezer (TU Delft, Urbanism, RP&S), [email protected]
Wenda van der Laan Bouma-Doff (TU Delft, OTB), [email protected]

Schedule
19 March 2009
08:30: Opening
Workshop 1: Public Space & Neighbourhood Quality
09:00: Keynote Speaker: Prof. Talja Blokland
10:00: PhD I
Respondent: PhD IV
10:30: PhD II
Respondent: PhD III
11:00: PhD III
Respondent: PhD II
11:30: PhD IV
Respondent: PhD I
12.00: Feedback & discussion
13:00: Lunch

Workshop 2: Public Space Interventions
14:00: Key note Speaker: Prof. Matthew Carmona
15:00: PhD I
Respondent: PhD IV
15:30: PhD II
Respondent: PhD III
16:00: PhD III
Respondent: PhD II
16:30: PhD IV
Respondent: PhD I
17:00: Feedback & discussion
18:00: Drinks

20 March 2009
Workshop 3: Politics of Public Space
09:00: Key note Speaker: Prof. Rob Shields
10:00: PhD I
Respondent: PhD IV
10:30: PhD II
Respondent: PhD III
11:00: PhD III
Respondent: PhD II
11:30: PhD IV
Respondent: PhD I
12:00: Feedback & Discussion
13:00: Lunch & closing discussion
14:00: Visit to public space-scenes in the city of Rotterdam
20:00: Supper