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作者

Marcin Gałkowski;Patrycja Antosz

来源

CITIES,Vol.127,Issue1,Article 103722

语言

英文

关键字

Civil liberties in private urban spaces;Pedestrian public space;Urban open space;Commodification;Privatization;Privately owned public space (POPS)

作者单位

Opole University of Technology, Poland;The Center for Modelling Social Systems NORCE, Norway;Opole University of Technology, Poland;The Center for Modelling Social Systems NORCE, Norway

摘要

The article presents a multidisciplinary study investigating to what extent users are aware of occupying urban areas with limited functionality where civil rights, such as free expression of political beliefs or practice of religious rituals, are hindered. Using a mixed-methods approach combining a comparative case study with a survey in a multi-level manner, we show that boundaries between actual public spaces and their privatized and commodified equivalents can be successfully hidden from users. Most respondents in public, recently privatized and private spaces were convinced that they enjoyed full-fledged public space. Furthermore, individuals shared misconceptions about awarded civil rights, especially with respect to overestimating the ability to freely express political and religious beliefs in private spaces. The study serves as a warning about the elusive consequences of privatization. It highlights differences between private and public spaces crucial for political, social, and religious functions in the creation of democratic, sustainable communities. Moreover, it shows the weakness of urban policies in developing countries, where shadow privatization masks the boundaries separating public spaces from privatized ones. The findings, pointing to the need to ensure civil liberties, are of particular value to practitioners, especially urban planners, city managers, architects and sociologists.