Die neue Öffentlichkeit/ New Public Spaces

The squares of the 21st century offer space for completely new functions in inner cities or they bring landscape into the city in a concrete and pictorial way. In general, the “imagery” of the squares plays a major role in our age, which is shaped by images. Strong spatial compositions are created by means of geometry, materiality or relief effects. Plants and trees as essential elements that support the respective concepts and consciously the microclimate, complex mobility requirements that bring new technical and design solutions with them or the strategic use of public squares as stabilizers of urban-sociologically heterogeneous areas are characteristics of today’s square designs. “The New Public” brings together around thirty outstanding square designs from the last 18 years in detailed graphic analyzes and, based on these case studies, poses the question: Who owns the public space?