Public Space, Peace, and Everyday Life delves into the intricate relationships between public spaces, peace, and the rhythms of daily life. The book explores how peace is actively constructed in public spaces through the dynamics of place, community, and environment. Framed by the entry points of comfort, negotiation, and co-existence, it offers a compelling lens to understand the transformative potential of public spaces in fostering peaceful interactions.
Providing a rich theoretical foundation and post-humanist methodologies to conceptualise the interplay between everyday life and public spaces, the book spans a wide range of disciplines, including urban studies, urban design, urban planning, human geography, urban sociology, anthropology, and urban ecology. This approach is examined through case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas to explain how peace is contextually embedded and constructed across diverse spatiotemporal scales. Readers will gain insights into frameworks for understanding public spaces, methodologies for exploring their dynamics, and reflections that bridge activism, research, and practice.
This book will be of interest to scholars and professionals in urban studies, human geography, sociology, and anthropology, as well as urban planners, designers, and ecologists. By providing spaces that allow users in their everyday lives to move towards co-presence, collaboration, and co-dependence, peace can emerge on an ongoing basis. By offering a multidisciplinary perspective, the book equips readers with the tools to critically engage with the role of public spaces in shaping peaceful and hopeful futures.