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Graphic design by Lorella Pierdicca, LLdesign.it.

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We are excited to announce our partnership with Pratt Institute in New York City for the organization of the international symposium "Public Space Challenges: from theory to practice to policy" on 25-27 April 2024, as part of the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of City Space Architecture. Read more about our anniversary here.

This symposium is an opportunity to present our work to an American audience and to discuss current challenges for public space, from theory to practice to policy, with high-profile experts.

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Statement from our President Dr Luisa Bravo:

Public space is a key element for sustainable urban development. Despite its broad and context-specific meaning, public space is the social glue that can contribute to advancing mutual trust, cooperation, and solidarity. However, too often public space is not listed as a primary question in the urban agendas of politicians and local governments, but rather as a collateral component, mostly intended as design activity related to landscape urbanism or infrastructure facilities. Major concerns for cities and built environments are defined through different categories and expertise related to housing, services, infrastructure, environmental issues, and technological solutions that also generate investment and provide funding opportunities While academic research on public space is well established through cross disciplinary approaches and investigation, there is a lack of interest or an unprepared expertise in defining a comprehensive urban strategy for local implementation, that is built around humans and their life in the public domain.

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Co-organizers
City Space Architecture
Pratt Institute, Urban Placemaking and Management
Read about previous collaboration here.
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Co-hosts
Luisa Bravo, Founder and President
City Space Architecture
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David Burney, Academic Director
Pratt Institute, Urban Placemaking and Management

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The event is open to the public and free of charge but registration is required.
Fill out this online form no later than April 20.

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Welcome address by Dr Luisa Bravo at the opening of the first Past Present and Future of Public Space international conference, that took place in Bologna on 25-27 June 2014.

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PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE OF PUBLIC SPACE
International, interdisciplinary, academic conference, 25-27 June 2024
Workshop of the Public Space Academy, 28 June 2024
Bologna, Italy

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“Past Present and Future of Public Space” is an Italian project, started in 2012 as an academic postdoctoral research activity by Dr Luisa Bravo, at the Department of Architecture, University of Bologna (Italy), and currently coordinated and promoted by City Space Architecture. The project aims to explore new dimensions of the public realm and to discuss the results of research activities, through a multidisciplinary approach, on public space and related topics, comparing theories and projects, bridging knowledge to implementation and policy.
Read more about the conference series and the research group and read what happened at the first conference in 2014 in this short report.

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TOPICS

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IMPORTANT DATES AND DEADLINES

2 February 2024 > EXTENDED 23 February 2024 / deadline for submission of abstracts
15 March 2024 / notification of accepted abstracts
15 March 2024 / deadline for special sessions
1 April 2024 > EXTENDED 10 May 2024 / deadline for expression of interest to attend the workshop of the Public Space Academy
15 April 2024 / deadline for submission of Master and Phd theses proposals
1 June 2024 / deadline for submission of full papers to be included in the conference proceedings

SUBMISSION OF ACADEMIC ABSTRACTS
Abstract proposals should not exceed 600 words and should include up to five key words. Please indicate the topic of interest when submitting your abstract proposal.
All accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings (with ISBN).
The best papers selected by a Scientific Committee will be included in a special issue of The Journal of Public Space (ISSN 2206-9658) to be published in 2025.
Submissions are accepted ONLY on Oxford abstracts, click here.

For any information write to: conference@cityspacearchitecture.org

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SPECIAL TRACK ON MASTER AND PhD THESES ON PUBLIC SPACE

This special track is designed to support research work on public space by Master's and PhD students. Shortlisted theses will be evaluated by a scientific committee to award a Research Prize on Public Space.
Theses must be submitted or under discussion between 2013 and 2023.
Submit a summary of your thesis of no more than 5000 words, including a 300-word abstract, up to five keywords and up to 10 images. Also include a cover letter from your supervisor. Both the summary and the letter must be in English.
In the supervisor’s letter we ask to confirm that the thesis has been completed and discussed between 2013 and 2023, and to add the link to the website with the full text of the thesis (if available). Any additional comments on the research (in terms of originality, interdisciplinarity and relevance to the current academic public space discourse) are very welcome.
Submit by 15 April 2024 to: conference@cityspacearchitecture.org highlighting in the subject of the email “Thesis for Research Award on Public Space”.

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WORKSHOP OF THE PUBLIC SPACE ACADEMY
28 June 2024 / Museo Spazio Pubblico
Max 20 participants

This one-day workshop of the Public Space Academy will offer a high-level training for Master and PhD students, for early career and senior researchers and professionals on how to implement effective public space strategies.
Read more about the Public Space Academy.
Submit an expression of interest to attend the workshop to info@publicspaceacademy.org by 10 May 2024.

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City Space Architecture is 10 years today, 13 May 2023! 🥳🎂

We are very grateful for the support we have received throughout the years by so many individuals that are now part of our community and are sharing with us their enthusiasm, progressive thinking and positive energy. We warmly thank leading Universities, influential institutions and committed non-profit organizations at the global level that have partnered with us and helped us to develop  ambitious and yet very successful projects, spanning from research to advocacy to implementation. We are proud for the ongoing cooperation with UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlments Programme, that started with our participation at the Habitat III conference in Ecuador in 2016, where we launched our campaign ‘Stand up for Public Space!’. Today we are a renowned and accredited stakeholder at major UN events, after our participation to several World Urban Fora (Kuala Lumpur, 2018; Abu Dhabi, 2020; Katowice, 2022) and at two high-level meetings promoted by the UN General Assembly on the implementation of the New Urban Agenda at the New York's headquarters (2017 and 2022).

Throughout the years we have been shaping a strong and very solid vision on public space, and on the occasion of this 10-year anniversary we would like to celebrate our achievements, highlighting our most important projects:
- The Journal of Public Space, the first-ever, academic, open access journal on public space: in almost 8 years we have published 20 issues, engaging 300+ authors, 500+ reviewers and editors and 50.000+ readers. Our online initiative “2020: A Year without Public Space under the COVID-19 pandemic” was followed by participants from 80+ countries;
- Public Space Academy, the first-ever, free, interdisciplinary educational program on urban complexity built around public space, that has been kicked off last month after 5 years in the making;
- Mastering Public Space, a web-magazine for dissemination of open access contents on public space from influential and reliable sources, including editorials on cutting-edge topics from relevant authors;
- Public Space Museum, our headquarters in Bologna hosting art-based and artistic practices on public space, established in 2019 and operating throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, currently hosting the exhibition “Imagining Public Space with/for Her”;
- Urban Visions, a unique international film festival dedicated to contemporary urban challenges, the first of its kind, with ongoing editions in Bologna (Italy) and Ajman (UAE).

We have estimated City Space Architecture has reached 500.000+ people in these past ten years through the different projects and initiatives we have developed, including conferences, workshops, and seminars, online and offline, engaging in particular early career researchers and professionals.

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Launch of the Public Space Academy at the 11th World Urban Forum in Katowice, coordinated by our Founder and President Dr Luisa Bravo (on the right) with (from left to right) Prof. Hendrik Tieben (CUHK), Mr. Jose Chong (UN-Habitat) and Prof. Setha Low (CUNY, the Graduate Center).

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During the 11th World Urban Forum in Katowice, City Space Architecture launched the Public Space Academy, the first, free, interdisciplinary educational program entirely dedicated to public space knowledge for the design and implementation of effective solutions with community impact. The Academy is developed in cooperation with the Ove Arup Foundation, with the generous contribution of UN-Habitat. It will start in 2023 as an online and open initiative and will provide introductory and advanced training on public space, engaging the best and most influential scholars, professionals, and urban innovators, from different backgrounds and expertise. It will be developed as a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) and all contents will be available for free on a customized OpenEdX platform. Online contents will be complemented with several face-to-face activities, such as talks, public dialogues, meetings, workshops, and exhibitions, in different cities worldwide, engaging Universities, cultural institutions and NGOs affiliated to City Space Architecture’s global network.

The Public Space Academy is aimed at inspiring and empowering a new generation of urban thinkers and doers who are willing to become agents of change in their own cities and communities.

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Visit the website of the Public Space Academy

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The training event at WUF11 titled Public Space Academy: a transformative learning experience for a new approach to urban complexity built around public space was a preview of the contents that will be included in the online training of the Public Space Academy, such as:

- introduction to public space complexity and the need for mature and interdisciplinary analytical skills for academic research and for effective design

- definition a comprehensive urban strategy for local implementation, that is built around humans and their life in the public domain, putting public space as a priority in the regional and local urban agenda.

The training event, attended by more than 50 participants, was divided in three parts, all moderated by our Founder and President Luisa Bravo.

The city of Katowice hosting the 11th World Urban Forum. More info here.

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City Space Architecture has been selected to be part as an exhibitor of the 11th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF11), taking place on 26-30 June 2022 in Katowice, Poland, convened by UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. City Space Architecture is the only Italian exhibitor participating at the WUF11 with over 90 exhibitors from 43 countries.  The exhibition will be developed under the theme PUBLIC SPACES FOR ALL for a Just, Resilient and Flourishing Urban Future, in cooperation with the Global Platform for the Right to the City (Brazil), Healthbridge (Canada), Inhabit Place (Australia), the Public Space Research Group (USA), KDI (Kenya), Sustasis Foundation (USA), World Blind Union (Canada), CAPS - Centre on African Public Spaces (South Africa), the School of Architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong), PlacemakingX (USA) and the Global Public Space Program at UN-Habitat and it is intended to celebrate 10 years of activities of the program.

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Main panel for the exhibition held by City Space Architecture at the 11th World Urban Forum, developed in cooperation with UN-Habitat, with the impact of public space activities from 11 affiliated partners.

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