“Past Present and Future of Public Space” is an Italian project, started in 2012 as an academic postdoctoral research activity by our President 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 by discussing the results of multidisciplinary research activities on public space and related topics. This involves comparing theories and projects and bridging the gap between knowledge and implementation and policy.

The first international conference took place in Bologna in 2014, and was attended by more than 120 scholars, academic professors and professionals, as well as photographers and filmmakers.

Report of the conference

Book of abstracts

IMPACT

After this overwhelming success, City Space Architecture worked to strengthen academic and professional collaborations worldwide, which led to the foundation of:
– the Past Present and Future of Public Space Research Group 
– a new academic, open-access journal, The Journal of Public Space, promoted and published by City Space Architecture and developed in partnership with UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

All photos by Elettra Giulia Bastoni