Manifestations of Symbolism in a Contemporary Public Space

: Contemporary urban design practice often focuses on addressing physical and physiological human needs without emphasising the symbolic dimension of the space. However, built environment can be regarded as a system of signs simultaneously functioning in both the material order of reality and the symbolic one. The option to address both aspects leads to creating spaces that are not only attractive but can also be interpreted by their hidden meanings. The paper addresses the issues of the symbolic dimension of a city in the urban and social contexts while using the notion of “spiritual-ity in place” to seek out the qualities of the built environment that, through its physical design, allows users to find greater meaning in their surroundings. The objective of this research is to make these invisible qualities more understandable by exploring the relationship between the material form and the symbolic meaning.