Making Public Interventions in Today's Massive Cities

Saskia Sassen

Sassen discusses how public space is created in the urban environment and how outside factors like politics can shape the meaning of the public space. One of the first things she talks states is how European cities still have very lively public space that are constantly used for a variety of purposes. Within the city are not only large public spaces, but also left over public spaces that shape the city. What Sassen does not discuss is how the culture is an important factor to the utilization of public space. In the American society where our culture is to work all day, we don’t spend much time outside. The other argument is we don’t go outside because there are no inviting public spaces.

Uninviting spaces could be due to our new way of making public space. Sassen states how many public spaces have become private. These private spaces typically come with restrictions, surveillance, and power over the space. The greatest impacts according to Sassen is the economic factor, high income areas versus low income areas leading to public spaces being very displaced making the spaces not very “public.” Could be reason why public spaces aren’t developed more.

Another factor that Sassen discusses is how politics have a large role in the shaping of public space. Public space is a place for non-formal political activities which engage the public and the media. Activities in public spaces can be linked to the internet and other global networks that spread the word. Without these public spaces, where would people go for public activism?

What is very different about Sassen’s article is that she links public space to digital media. All types of people can use public space in different ways and share it with the world. Space is being shared through a network versus physically experiencing the space.

Sassen engages the reader through the ability to link digital and political world with the public space, but it does not discusses physical elements that shape the urban public seating. This was less about the architecture of public space as it was the new meaning of public space.