Public Spaces In Ancient

Period
Content
1. Introduction
2. Importance/Significance of public spaces
3. Features of successful public spaces
4. Social value of public spaces
5. The case of Greece
6. The case of Rome
7. Evolution of public spaces overtime
8. Conclusion
Introduction
A public space is a social space that is generally
open and accessible to people of all levels of
Roads (including the pavement), public
squares, parks and beaches are typically
considered public space.
To a limited extent, government buildings
which are open to the public, such as public
libraries are public spaces, although they tend
to have restricted areas and greater limits upon
use. Although not considered public space,
privately owned buildings or property visible
from sidewalks and public thoroughfares may
affect the public visual landscape, for example,
by outdoor advertising.
Recently, the concept of Shared space has been
advanced to enhance the experience of pedestrians in
public space jointly used by automobiles and other
vehicles.
The term 'public space' is also often misconstrued to
mean other things such as 'gathering place', which is an
element of the larger concept of social space.
PUBLIC SPACE IS NOT ALWAYS A GATHERING PLACE
The ancient Greek democracy could not take place
without the possibility of the urban elite coming
together in public spaces to discuss the affairs of the
city-state.
The Value of Public Space
Public space is all around us, a vital part of everyday
urban life: the streets we pass through on the way
to school or work, the places where children play,
or where we encounter nature and wildlife; the local
parks in which we enjoy sports, walk the dog and sit
at lunchtime; or simply somewhere quiet to get away
for a moment from the bustle of a busy daily life. In
other words, public space is our open-air living room,
our outdoor leisure centre.
The Economic Value of
Public Space
A good public landscape also offers very clear benefits
to the local economy in terms of stimulating increased
house prices, since house-buyers are willing to pay to
be near green space.

The positive impact on property prices

Good for business
Being close to public space adds economic value
Creating tax revenue
 The Impact on Physical
and Mental Health
‘Obesity already costs more in public health terms, and
will overtake smoking as Britain’s biggest killer in 10-15
years if current trends persist’.13
There is growing concern about the health of the nation and
particularly that of our children and young people. A variety of
research has identified these startling facts: 20 per cent of four-year-
olds are overweight, and 8.5 per cent of six-year-olds and 15 per cent
of 15-year-olds are obese.
The health benefits of walking
Green spaces and long life
A place for sport
The importance of nature and ‘green exercise’
The environment and mental health
 The Benefits for Children
and Young People
Play is crucial for many aspects of children’s
development, from the acquisition of social skills,
experimentation and the confrontation and resolution
of emotional crises, to moral understanding, cognitive
skills such as language and comprehension, and of
course physical skills. But increasing urbanisation has
left our children with far fewer opportunities than
previous generations to play freely outdoors and
experience the natural environment.

The value for children with Attention Deficit Disorder

Challenging play space
Trees and grass are good for children
Playtime is important
 Reducing Crime
and Fear of Crime
Fear of crime and, to a much lesser
extent crime itself, can deter people,
not just vulnerable groups, from using
even good-quality public spaces.
Children and young people, for
example, are often prevented from
using our parks, squares and streets Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester
because of their parents’ fears about Grainger Town, Newcastle
crime, whilst women often also face
particular concerns.
Secure spaces mean less crime
Community gardens reduce crime
The benefits of increased lighting
 The Social Dimension
of Public Space
Public spaces are open to all, regardless of ethnic origin, age or
gender, and as such they represent a democratic forum for citizens
and society. When properly designed and cared for, they bring
communities together, provide
meeting places and foster social ties of a kind that have been
disappearing in many urban areas. These spaces shape the cultural
identity of an area, are part of its unique character and provide a
sense of place for local communities.
Promoting neighbourliness and social inclusion

A venue for social events

Public space generates community cohesion
Green spaces are well used
The social value of trees, plants and ‘natural areas
 Value from Biodiversity
and Nature
The significant increase in hard surfacing and the reduction in green
spaces lead to higher temperatures in towns and cities than in the
surrounding countryside. This is known as the ‘heat island effect’.49
Vegetation whether in public spaces or private gardens – can help
to redress this imbalance.
The ‘park breeze’ and air quality
Trees cool air and provide shade
Nature and wildlife amongst the urban fabric
 FEATURES OF SUCCESSFUL SOCIAL SPACES
Access and availability
Good physical access, welcoming spaces and extended opening hours.
Invitations by peers and others
embedded in social networks to encourage use;
Exchange-based relationships
moving beyond consumerism to participation in the exchange of goods and services.
Moving beyond mono-cultures
encouraging diverse groups and activities to share common spaces.
 EXTRA FEATURES
a. The study of markets found that in addition to
accessibility, the essential attributes of successful
markets included.
b. Having features that attracted visitors to the site.
c. An active and engaged community of traders to provide
goods for sale and contribute to the social scene.
d. Opportunities to linger through the provision of cafés
and food vans or ‘comfort zones’.
e. Avoiding over-regulation of design and space, as security
and well-being are more likely to grow out of active use.
f. Choreography of spaces by discreet good management
while also leaving room for self-organization.
Case Of Greece
History of public spaces often begin with the
Greek agora, as many regard it as the
quintessential public space. The Greek agora
was, first, a central market, but also “a place of
assembly for the town’s people and a setting in
which ceremonies and spectacles were
performed”.
Agora
The Ancient Agora of Classical Athens is the
best-known example of an ancient Greek agora,
located to the northwest of the Acropolis and
bounded on the south by the hill of the
Areopagus and on the west by the hill known as
the Agoraios Kolonos, also called Market Hill.
Case Of Greece
•In Athens the agora was at first surrounded by
private houses, but later temples and sanctuaries
were built bordering it, as well as stoa, or covered
walkways and.
•It is impossible to characterize the agora as either
a religious, civic, or political space, as it brought
together all those activities.
• While this was surely a place where spectacles
were viewed and rituals carried out, the agora
was equally a place where powers were
challenged and the setting for prosaic daily acts.
 Case Of Greece
•Nearly every city of ancient Greece had an agora – meaning
meeting place – by about 600 B.C., usually located near the
centre of town, the agora was easily accessible to every
citizen, with a large central square for market stalls bound by
public buildings.
•The agora of Athens – the hub of ancient Greek civilization –
was the size of several football fields and saw heavy traffic
every single day of the week. Women didn't often frequent
the agora, but every other character in ancient Greece passed
through its columns: politicians, criminals, philosophers and
traders, aristocrats, scientists, officials and slaves.
•Not only did the ancient Greeks go to the agora to pick up
fresh meat and some wool for a new robe, but also to meet
and greet with friends and colleagues. Akin to the modern
high-powered lunch, much business got done in the casual The 'School of Athens' fresco by Raphael, housed in the Vatican, is meant to represent the Greek
setting. agora and all the great minds that passed through it.
Case Of Greece
•Some of the world's most important ideas were born and
perfected within the confines of the Athenian agora
including, famously, the concept of democracy.
•Regular Athenian citizens had the power to vote for
anything and everything, and were fiercely proud of their
democratic ways. No citizen was above the law – laws were
posted in the agora for all to see – or was exempt from
being a part of the legal process. In fact, Athenians
considered it a duty and a privilege to serve on juries. Both
the city law courts and senate were located in the agora to
demonstrate the open, egalitarian nature of Athenian life.
•The Athenian democratic process, whereby issues were
discussed in a forum and then voted on, is the basis for
most modern systems of governance.
Case Of Greece
How Greek Agoras Lost Their Importance as Public Space
With the arrival of the Renaissance in the early thirteenth century, Europe saw the
ascent of specific professions: architect, painter, sculptor- all these became recognized
and respected and were no longer simply trades.
As a result, the craft guilds- woodworkers, masons, cloth makers who dominated the
Middle Ages, diminished in importance. Since sculptors, architects, and other
professionals did not use the agoras to market their work, these spaces became less
important than before.
Case Of Greece
How Greek Agoras Lost Their Importance as Public Space
Lasting well into the nineteenth century, the agoras continued their function as public
markets and venues for the crafts guilds. However, in the latter part of the nineteenth
century and continuing into the twentieth, manufacturing and industry came to
dominate European culture.
As people moved to the cities to work in factories, the agoras in the smaller towns
waned. Those in the larger cities survived, but, partly because time was more limited,
they continued to decline. Eventually, they shrank further because many of the
consumer goods offered for sale were machine made, which led to the rise of retail
stores and mass merchandising.
Case Of Rome
FORUM
A forum was a central public open space in a Roman municipium, or any civitas
Primarily used as a marketplace, along with the buildings used for shops and the stoas used for
open stalls.
 Other large public buildings were also sited at the edges or close by.
 Many forums were constructed at remote locations ,along a road and magistrate responsible
for the road, in which case the forum was the only settlement at the site and had its own name,
such as Forum Livi.
Every city had at least one forum of varying size.
 In addition to its standard function as a marketplace, a forum
was a gathering place of great social significance, and often the
scene of diverse activities, including political discussions and
debates, rendezvous, meetings, etc.
The best known example is the Trajan’s Forum,, the earliest of
several in Rome.

Trajan’s Forum, Rome; designed by Apollodorus

of Damascus
Forums In New Roman Towns
In new Roman towns the forum was usually located
at, or just off, the intersection of the main north-
south and east-west streets
(the cardo and decumanus).

All forums would have a Temple of Jupiter at the

north end, and would also contain other temples, as
well as the basilica.

The Temple Of Saturn

Basilica
A large oblong hall or building
with double colonnades and a
semicircular apse, used in
ancient Rome as a law court or
for public assemblies.

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

city- there is large open public
space for gathering of 15,000 to
over 80,000 people

St. Peter's Basilica in the vatican city

Piazza
A Piazza is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for
community gatherings.

Most piazzas are hardscapes suitable for open markets, music concerts, political rallies, and
other events that require firm ground.

 Being centrally located, piazza are usually surrounded by small shops such as
bakeries, meat markets, cheese stores, and clothing stores.
Piazza Della Rotunda
The Piazza Della Rotunda is situated
in front of pantheon had over the
centuries become choked with a
maze of sheds and small shops that
had grown up around pantheons
columns.
Evolution of Public Spaces
The main function of ancient agora, forums , piazzs and markets were to provide:
•a marketplace,
• a place of political assemblies, and
•a place for public ceremonies and rituals.
•This functional integration, however, started to collapse with the growing size of the city, where
it was physically impossible to rely on a single centre. As the places of work and living were
separated, and as movement across the large urban space became inevitable, the centre’s hold
started to weaken, and with it the role of its public spaces. It is now unimaginable to have the
same degree of integration of economic, political and cultural functions in a single space. This
was perhaps the biggest challenge that the modern period has posed to the historical role of the
urban public spaces. As each function was changed in nature or was relocated to other sites, the
public space lost one aspect of its functions one after the other.
One of the key losses of the public space was its political role.
In ancient Greece ,all the public affairs were discussed in public spaces. But with the change of
time all the political debates and political issues are discussed in political institutions and
through the mass media.
In new cities Rising tides of crime make some public spaces uninviting, places to avoid rather
than to enter and enjoy.
The nineteenth century witnessed major efforts to improve the quality of urban life by
introducing public parks and boulevards, , where nature was brought into the city for hygiene
and aesthetics.
In contrast, the late twentieth century an erosion of these public spaces, and hence a decline in
the quality of urban life. Decline in public spending meant unsafe and unkempt parks, badly lit
streets and unpleasant public squares.
A city without its public spaces is not a city, but a collection of fragments.
Conclusion
• Public spaces like the ancient agora, can support multiple activities integrated in one place and
became more a part of everyday life.
• They are public gathering spaces as well as recreation spaces for all the people of the
surrounding region. They serve the hopes and aspirations of the residents are not just "green
spaces" or "sports venues“.
• They integrate well with the urban design of their locale.
• They have a natural component that is designed in a pleasing manner, and is of sufficient size to
attract the ongoing interest of the citizens.
• They have several activities in the same place – from farmers markets to music, art and cultural
festivals.
•They have a religious component, implied if not precisely stated.
 Thank You

SOMANSHU PATKAR – 141110208

SHIVAM PATEL – 141110206
VISHAL CHAURASIYA – 141110211