Sarah Curtis

Nicholas T. Dines

Vicky Cattell

Public spaces are a fundamental feature of where we live, representing sites of sociability and acting as a perceived measure of the quality of urban life. The rejuvenation of public spaces is also a key policy concern. This report draws on qualitative research in a multi-ethnic area of East London to consider the social value of spaces. As well as green spaces, the study looks at everyday spaces not usually highlighted in research or policy. It considers spaces along with place attachment, and explores the different types of social encounter spaces afford and analyses relationships between ethnicity and public space, and reflects upon the potential of spaces for fostering inter-ethnic understanding. It investigates links between different public spaces and well-being and discusses social and symbolic aspects of places and highlights a market which encapsulates many of the valued features of public space, shows how regeneration proposals raised 'public space consciousness' and addresses policy implications. By providing a significant contribution to current debates around links between public spaces, social relations and well-being, the findings have particular implications for 'Cleaner, Safer, Greener', 'Community Cohesion', 'Sustainable Communities' and 'Choosing Health' policies. The study will be of interest to policy makers, practitioners and academics in public space, regeneration, community cohesion and community involvement, as well as those with an interest in well being.

Public Spaces, Social Relations and Well-being in East London

Nick Dines

During the 1990s, Naples' left-wing administration sought to tackle the city's infamous reputation of being poor, crime-ridden, chaotic and dirty by reclaiming the city's cultural and architectural heritage. This book examines the conflicts surrounding the reimaging and reordering of the city's historic centre through detailed case studies of two piazzas and a centro sociale, focusing on a series of issues that include heritage, decorum, security, pedestrianization, tourism, immigration and new forms of urban protest. This monograph is the first in-depth study of the complex transformations of one of Europe's most fascinating and misunderstood cities. It represents a new critical approach to the questions of public space, citizenship and urban regeneration as well as a broader methodological critique of how we write about contemporary cities.

Nicholas T. Dines

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