Public spaces have always been an important component of urban design and city making. With the changing dynamics of cities, the public realm has been substantially affected and has changed the way such spaces are perceived and used. Substantial literature is available on public spaces and their design, the star designer associated with the space, and the description of the design virtues. In addition, there is a growing body of literature focusing on the production of space, the concept of place, and cultural/sociological issues on the use of the space. However, there is a substantial lack of knowledge on the redevelopment and redesign processes, or how redesigning can potentially destroy the character and meaning of a public space and how a designer should ideally approaches the process. The focus of this research is to identify all the factors that play an important role in the proper redesign and redevelopment of a public space project, more specifically urban parks. Understanding the important dominant factors guiding such projects will contribute to a more effective planning and urban design for public spaces. The main case study is Washington Square Park, which is undergoing an expensive redevelopment amid controversy and opposition from the public. On the basis of personal observations supported by literature review, this thesis identifies the important attributes and issues surrounding the redesign of this important public space in New York City. Furthermore, recommendations based on the study findings are advanced, directed towards the designer of the public space proposed to be redesigned. These recommendations can be used as guidelines to facilitate the redesigning process. The main intention of this research is to raise sensitivity among the key players, especially the designers, toward the whole process so as enable them to tackle the complex issues associated with the redesigning of public spaces in a well-informed manner.

Ray Oldenburg’s concept of third place is re-visited in this book through contemporary approaches and new examples of third places. Third place is not your home (first place), not your work (second place), but those informal public places in which we interact with the people. Readers will come to understand the importance of third places and how they can be incorporated into urban design to offer places of interaction – promoting togetherness in an urbanised world of mobility and rapid change.

Ray Oldenburg's concept of third place is re-visited in this book through contemporary approaches and new examples of third places. Third place is not your home (first place), not your work (second place), but those informal public places in which we interact with the people. Readers will come to understand the importance of third places and how they can be incorporated into urban design to offer places of interaction - promoting togetherness in an urbanised world of mobility and rapid change.

Public Space: Between Reimagination and Occupation examines contemporary public space as a result of intense social production reflecting contradictory trends: the long-lasting effects of the global crisis, manifested in supranational trade-offs between political influence, state power and private ownership; and the appearance of global counter-actors, enabled by the expansion of digital communication and networking technologies and rooted into new participatory cultures, easily growing into mobile cultures of protest. The highlighted cases from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America reveal the roots of the pre-crisis processes of redistribution of capital and power as an aspect of the transition from the consumerist past into the post-consumerist present, by tracing the slow growth of social discontent that has led only a few years later to the mobilization of a new kind of self-conscious globally-acting class. This edited volume brings together a broad range of interdisciplinary discussions and approaches, providing sociologists, cultural geographers, and urban planning academics and students with an opportunity to explore the various social, cultural, economic and political factors leading to reappropriation and reimagination of the urban commons in the cities within which we live.

This book reviews the building renovation process by systematizing the phases of analysis and prior knowledge through a project that not only considers energy savings but also thoroughly examines complex issues, such as defining the correct new functions and answers to new needs. The urgency of climate change and the many problems associated with the excessive use of energy are forcing a reorganization of the renovation process with an interest in reusing existing buildings with a more sustainable approach. The adaptive transformation of old buildings has become a dominant theme in many urban renewal projects. It must necessarily include strategies for energy efficiency, reduced pollutant emissions, improved environmental performance, economic sustainability and cultural identity. The examples selected are intended to provide evidence of good practices in the review and transformation of old buildings.

This book presents the proceedings of the XXII International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, International IIE Conference 2016, and International AIM Conference 2016. This joint conference is a result of an agreement between ADINGOR (Asociación para el Desarrollo de la Ingeniería de Organización), ABEPRO (Associação Brasileira de Engenharia de Produção), AIM (European Academy for Industrial Management) and the IIE (Institute of Industrial Engineers), and took place at TECNUN-School of Engineering (San Sebastián, Spain) from July 13th to 15th, 2016. The book includes the latest research advances and cutting-edge analyses of real case studies in Industrial Engineering and Operations Management from diverse international contexts, while also identifying concrete business applications for the latest findings and innovations in operations management and the decisions sciences.