Why Public Space Belongs to People with Michael Sorkin | reSITE City Talks

Michael Sorkin shared his views on what constitutes public space, China’s urban development, and what a ‘right to the city’ can mean for urban dwellers. These questions are not just about what it means to have a right to the city, or urban space, but who gets to take advantage of these rights and who constitutes the public. Facing the challenges of China’s rapid urbanization in his urban planning work, Sorkin sees both immense difficulties and plenty of hope in China’s future, highlighting its growing environmental consciousness.
Michael Sorkin was an architectural critic, author, professor, urban planner and fierce advocate for social justice, recognized for his work with his founded research practice, Terreform. Sorkin gained a public presence as the architectural critic for the Village Voice, but was also known for his teaching and research. His design projects ranged from master plans for East Jerusalem, Palestine, to a proposal for MOMA PS1 Rockaway, in New York. Sorking was further recognized as a Guggenheim Fellow, and served as co-President at the Urban Design Forum.
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[@emilierathwell4157]

Public spaces provide many advantages: the 'feel-good' sensation of being part of a lively street scene; the soothing effects of peaceful time spent on a park bench; spaces where people can express their culture and identities and learn about inclusion; opportunities for children and young people to interact, play or simply 'hang out.' They all have valuable benefits and help to build social connexions that are at the core of a sense of community. Public spaces (including city centres, street markets, shopping malls, tourist attractions, parks, playgrounds and neighbourhood spaces in suburban areas) play a crucial role in the social life of communities. They serve as a self-organizing shared resource in which social experiences are formed.

[@drscopeify]

I think that private spaces are very important and critical for freedom of expression and development. A person cannot experiment and test things out and invent new things in a shared space. A person cannot think for themselves and develop as an individual in a shared space. Too much community is not a good thing. There is a balance. I think a lot of people demand shared spaces and community in order to increase their feeling of safety which is not a real solution as safety issues will use public space just the same as private spaces so it is chasing after a ghost, not solving any issues of safety. Also a lack of community feeling today leads people in to wanting public spaces but again, this is chasing after a ghost as people today do not interact with each other so forcing public space just makes people "hang out" together uncomfortably and so the space creates anxiety. I think we need to turn back the clock and revert to more private spaces for the betterment of society.