The forms of public space in modern society : a series of case studies that explore how public space is lost and reclaimed

Abstract

Public space has never been public. The recent rise of hate crimes to newly integrated communities represents a legacy of public space used as an indicator for social class and establishing the in-group and out-group. Our history is composed of a series of instances that manipulated the public sphere to transmit influence and power across particular regions. This paper seeks to exemplify the importance for democracies to seek to form public spaces that will better create more equitable societies. By taking the case studies of the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, Western European Anti Islam policy reforms in the late 20th and early 21st century, and the creation of the Micro State or suburbia in United States of America this dissertation seeks to highlight the characteristics of a functioning public space and recognize its limitations in a 21st century hyper globalizing context. Public space is contested.