Historically, the plaza has served as the marker of congressional potential. Bordered by government and religion, whose agendas and inclusion define them, the plaza lies open, neutral and nondiscriminatory. Its importance, however, lies in the ability for this public urban space to become temporarily charged with focus and power of the public. Within it's street-edged borders, the plaza becomes the zone of political debate, market, celebration, and chaos. It could be argued that in these moments the power of this public territory is greater than that of the institutions at its ends.territories
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Public Domain, Neutrality, Territory
Historically, the plaza has served as the marker of congressional potential. Bordered by government and religion, whose agendas and inclusion define them, the plaza lies open, neutral and nondiscriminatory. Its importance, however, lies in the ability for this public urban space to become temporarily charged with focus and power of the public. Within it's street-edged borders, the plaza becomes the zone of political debate, market, celebration, and chaos. It could be argued that in these moments the power of this public territory is greater than that of the institutions at its ends.
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Public space and its activation are important issues. I think you could think about what happens to public space when it is NOT used as intended, or not used at all. What do you think are the intentions when creating certain public spaces? What happens when a public square is built, but no one uses it...is that a waste of space?
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