Reviewing and Speculating on Public Space Futures through a New Lens

Abstract

This ‘Art and Activism in Public Space’ special issue of The Journal of Public Space reflects the dilemmas of the COVID-19 era and its impact on public space across the globe. While this issue’s beginnings were pre-COVID, its publication was impacted by the pandemic both in its timeline and in how the portfolios and articles will be read through a new lens. This issue presents a collection of projects from across Estonia, Finland, Italy, China, United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Mexico, United States of America, Colombia, Japan, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Poland, Egypt. The portfolios and articles assert the important role of multidisciplinary inquiry and the integration of practice and theory in the investigation into and the active creation of, the complex and changing state of public space. The experience of a global pandemic and the increase in digital networks has led to a reviewing of the role of public space and fostered speculation on new approaches to public space culture.