Open public and private spaces

The spaces, objects and places around us impact our emotions and in turn our emotions reflect back out into our environment. For city administrations designing the public space in a way that inspires people, by breathing new life into a rundown area, or finding a new use for the urban commons, is at the core of urban planning. At the same time, our public spaces must reflect a cities’ needs in terms of integrated and sustainable urban development, including governance and empowerment. Many administrations are actively involving citizens in the development of their neighbourhoods and urban spaces, empowering local people and collaborating to find innovative uses of public space, whether urban farms and gardens, or by redeveloping public squares. As major leaseholders on often unused buildings, many city administrations put them to new use, by making them available for community activities, as well as artists and musicians. More recently, security and safety, including on digital security aspects or a social inclusion dimension have gained prominence in the public consciousness.