Hou on Public Spaces

In Places, a former graduate school colleague of mine has a fascinating essay on the use of public spaces. The essay is drawn from a chapter in the forthcoming book Beyond Zuccotti Park: The Freedom of Assembly and the Occupation of Public Space.

    Jeffrey Hou, Beyond Zuccotti Park: Making the Public. Places. Sept. 24, 2012

    Hou provides examples of public transformation of places into sites of action, meaning and     possibility. Challenging us to rethink our notion of “public” in public space. The essay is accompanied     by photos of public appropriation and use of public spaces from across the globe.

For those of you unfamiliar with Places, it is an interdisciplinary journal on architecture, landscape, and urbanism. It has been an online journal since 2009, which is a superior format as it allows images and discussion of the articles. Check it out.

Jessica Owley