Multiple publics, urban design, and the right to the city: assessing participation in the Plaza del Colibrí

Rios, M., 2004, Multiple publics, urban design, and the right to the city: assessing participation in the Plaza del Colibrí, in: OPENspace, ‘Open space, people space’, OPENspace, Edinburgh

  • Author : Rios, M.
  • Year : 2004
  • Published in Book : Open space, people space
  • Abstract in English : Contributions from cultural and feminist studies raise fundamental issues about contemporary culture as expressed between different social groups and epistemological problems associated with universal claims about the public sphere. At the heart of these critiques is the interrogation of relationships between subject and object, and distinctions between diverse forms of knowledge. However, lacking is a related account of the design profession and the normative relationships that exist between experts and non-experts, professionals and clients. This paper introduces some of these recent debates to critique functionalist approaches to participation in the design of the public realm. Using the case study of a renovated transit hub, it introduces the term ‘multiple publics’ to highlight the value of inclusiveness in urban open space projects. In doing so, it argues for strategies that begin with difference as a starting point in the design of public space.
  • Comments/Notes : KEYWORDS: access, disabled people, natural areas, social policy, standards, legislation. [paper 7 p.]