Public Space: Paradoxes, Possibilities, and Propositions

Shareable is partnering with Tufts University on this ongoing lecture series hosted by professor Julian Agyeman (co-chair of Shareable’s governing board) and Cities@Tufts. The series explores equity and diversity in urban planning and design and is made possible with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation, and Shift Foundation.

Shareable + Cities@Tufts

Cities@Tufts open lecture featuring Vikas Mehta

Cities@Tufts: Free Urban Planning Lecture Series

A collaboration between Tufts University and Shareable, Cities@Tufts is a free cross-disciplinary open education initiative connecting learners to urban thought leaders from all over the world.

Cities@Tufts is a cross-disciplinary academic initiative that recognizes Tufts as a leader in urban studies, planning, and sustainability. Join us as we welcome scholars and create spaces for innovative discussions on complex urban and environmental issues. Lecture summary:Public spaces are symbolic urban icons. Cities complete with their public spaces, often using them as tools for commodification to attract capital and labor. At the same time, public space is an expansive common social and material realm and the past decades have erased any doubts of the resurgence of public space in its political form. This is a good time to focus our attention on public space. The climate crisis, the systemic social injustices, and the COVID-19 pandemic demand a rethinking of our largest shared territory. Public space has the capacity, at least in part, to address these crises by being envisioned and manifest as a humane space of community, restoration, and emancipation. In this talk, based on his latest book, Vikas Mehta presents a panoramic view of public space: the inherent paradoxes, as well as the immense possibilities and propositions for a more constructive public space.About the speaker:Dr. Vikas Mehta, is the Fruth/Gemini Chair, Ohio Eminent Scholar of Urban/Environmental Design and Professor of Urban Design at the School of Planning, College of DAAP, University of Cincinnati. Dr. Mehta’s work focuses on the role of design and planning in creating a more responsive, equitable, stimulating, and communicative environment. He is interested in various dimensions of urbanity through the exploration of place as a social and ecological setting and as a sensorial art. This work emphasizes the sense of place and place distinctiveness, design and visualization of urban places, cities, and regions as just, equitable, and sustainable living systems. In his work, Dr. Mehta has developed new measures of sociability that have advanced existing methods to study human behavior in public spaces. Dr. Mehta has authored/co-authored and edited/co-edited 6 books and numerous book chapters and journal articles on urban design pedagogy, public space, urban streets, neighborhoods, retail, signage and visual identity, public space in the Global south and more. His first book, The Street: a quintessential social public space received the 2014 Book Award from the Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA) and was also a finalist for the 2014 Francis Tibbalds Award for Best Book of the Year. His most recent book Public Space: notes on why it matters, what we should know, and how to realize its potential was published by Routledge in 2022. Dr. Mehta holds degrees in architecture, urban design and city planningFollowing the lecture, there will be a Q&amp;A moderated by Julian Agyeman.This event is part of the <a href="https://www.citiesattufts.com/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Cities@Tufts Virtual Colloquium</a>, an ongoing open lecture series from the Tufts School of Urban and Environmental Planning and <a href="https://www.shareable.net" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Shareable</a>.

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Public Space: Paradoxes, Possibilities, and Propositions

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