NUDA

Public space has always been the venue for human interaction, and the fascination of architects, planners and urban designers concerning the physical and sociological aspects. For centuries creative minds have shaped, morphed, transformed, developed, resurrected, created, studied and challenged the users of public spaces in cities and explored the effects on public life, surrounding structures, commercial life and cultural management. Though various methods have been used to comprehend the public domain, they are broadly similar regardless country, culture, decade or profession. Concerns about good infrastructure, accessibility, legibility, form and high-quality urban insertion have always been central, regardless of the method used to enhance public space and public life.

The public domain of the 21st century can no longer simply be regarded as streets, plazas, the relationship between structure, space and people, or spaces between buildings. The technology of our time challenges the democratic use of public spaces: it challenges our conception of what and how public space is to be understood, used and shaped. The complexity of material and immaterial spaces has emerged parallel to new technological advances, raising the question: what is the contemporary public space and what form will the future public domain take?

The complexity of cities has engaged a cultural shift of paradigm that favors more “event culture”, highly emphasised through the insertion of urban screens and contemporary public spaces as i.e. Federation Square in Melbourne. The technological development is part of the future growth and inevitable becoming an important companion to people. We do not live with the mobile phone; we live the mobile phone. We do not live with the internet; we are living the internet. We are interacting more and more uncritical with digital media communication, becoming more and more addicted to online living and experiences, craving for more information. The balance between real life and media reality is becoming blurred which shapes our daily life from the minute we turn on our mobile phone in the morning and become online.

"Guy Debord already foresaw “the society of the spectacle” in 1967. In the growing international competition among cities often the focus lies on tourism or the citizen as consumer. City marketing and urban management strategies are applied to create a vision of “creative cities”. Cities are in the struggle against the "feeling of placelesness" caused by the spread of international architecture and brand-shops."

In this context, the use of urban screens is rapidly becoming more dominant to generate active public spaces. Cities with lifeless spaces are vitalised with big screens, transmitting concerts, sports and other cultural events. Virtual communication is becoming a strong indicator of future trends, and of how public spaces of the contemporary city can respond to commercial forces. It is inevitable that technology will define our future conception of the public domain, and even change the democratic use of public spaces. Urban screens and media-architecture clearly define public spaces as “event spaces” similar to the traditional market place.

The challenge is how urban designers, architects, planners and others deal with this issue, especially in the future transformation of public spaces and interaction with public life. "Cities experience an increased growth of invisible information-spheres where the air is full of electromagnetic flows of data exchange". This creates invisible and virtual public spaces where communication now is not only the interaction between people, but wireless through sms, mms, and the use of laptops and mobile phones. The rapid expansion of wireless internet has already changed the pattern of use among city people, making public spaces at the same time more mobile and, as a paradox, more static.