The Value of Public Space - Liza Fior

00:00 // Introduction
00:16 // The Role of Public Space
02:22 // Challenges to Public Space
02:49 // Examples of Restricted Public Spaces
04:46 // Footfall and Commercialization
05:31 // Efforts to Improve Public Spaces
06:42 // Children and Public Space
08:53 // Historical Perspective on Public Space
10:37 // Coexistence in Shared Spaces
12:31 // Buildings Shaping Public Spaces
15:29 // The Power of Adjacent Spaces
16:40 // The Evolution of Public Squares
17:49 // Activism and Public Space
21:20 // Modern Public Space Design
23:00 // Case Studies in Public Space Design
25:57 // Buildings as Active Public Space Contributors
27:20 // Encouraging Shared Use of Space
28:36 // Public Spaces Before Private Development
32:16 // Claiming and Reclaiming Public Spaces
34:34 // The Role of Trees in Public Space
36:08 // Conclusion

Watch the Q&A session here:    • Q&A: The Value of Public Space - Liza...  

As we navigate towns and cities, public spaces are all around us. These offer a respite from our often-busy routines. Public spaces are more than just the leftover areas between buildings; they depend on how interests are designed and negotiated, and its success is measured by the interactions that take place in it: the passage of the sun, the root of trees, and even the way they are used by children. However, these areas are constantly threatened by the way local and commercial funding invest in it.
Using recent projects, primarily in London and North America, this lecture will invite audiences to think about public space beyond the space between and around buildings; to view public spaces, their design and their constructions, under a new light.

This lecture was recorded by Liza Fior on 28th January 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.

Liza Fior is a founding Partner of muf architecture/art, and Professor of Architecture and Spatial Practice at the University of the Arts London. She was previously a visiting professor at Yale University.

muf architecture/art are internationally acclaimed for their hyper-local approach to design; exclusively working in the public realm - including on streetscapes, parks and open spaces, buildings masterplans, temporary commissions and furniture.

The transcript of the lecture is available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/p...

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