City Space Architecture Honours Public Space Research Awards for Outstanding Academic Contributions
Closing session at the "Past Present and Future of Public Space" International Academic Conference, Bologna, 25-27 June 2024
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City Space Architecture proudly announced the recipients of the prestigious Public Space Research Awards at the Past Present and Future of Public Space international academic conference, held from June 25-27, 2024, in Bologna, Italy, as part of the celebration of the tenth anniversary. The awards recognized exceptional research contributions at both Master's and PhD levels, highlighting innovative approaches to understanding and improving public spaces.
The conference, which brought together leading scholars, practitioners, and researchers from around the world, served as the perfect backdrop for celebrating these outstanding academic achievements. The awards ceremony took place during the conference's closing session, emphasizing the organization's commitment to fostering excellence in public space research.
"These awards represent our dedication to advancing the field of public space studies and supporting the next generation of urban scholars," stated Dr. Luisa Bravo, President of City Space Architecture. "The winning research projects demonstrate remarkable insight into the evolving nature of public spaces and their crucial role in contemporary urban life."
The selection process involved rigorous evaluation by an international jury of distinguished academics and practitioners. Submissions were assessed based on their originality, methodological sophistication, and potential impact on both academic discourse and practical applications in urban design and planning.
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REVIEWERS for the Special Track on Master and PhD Theses
Husam Al Waer, University of Dundee, United Kingdom
Sebnem Hoskara, Eastern Mediterranean University, Cyprus
Jacek Ludwig Scarso, London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
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EVALUATION CRITERIA
Originality
New understanding for the progress of the research on public space
Overall quality and excellence
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WINNER - Master Thesis
Lines Drawn. The Importance of Public Space for Practicing Democracy
by Ines Dobosic
Master of Architecture, Graz University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture, 2015
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Motivation
A timely study on the function of public space for civic dissent and democratic participation. This reflects the important understanding that for public space to be so, it requires the possibility for contrasting voices and the opportunity for protest.
A very interesting transhistorical dimension is used here, with references to the function of the ancient Greek agora, as well as other useful case studies, providing both practical evidence and philosophical depth in this discussion.
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HONOURABLE MENTION - Master Thesis
Public Space and Consumption in the Mobile Internet Era. The Heterotopic Inversions of Ultra-Modern Financialised Urban Centres
by Yiwei Ou
School of Architecture and Planning, The University of Auckland, 2021
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Motivation
A very relevant study of the future of malls in the context of e-commerce, drawing on the specific case studies of ultra-modern malls in China.
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WINNER - PhD Thesis
Curating The City. Unpacking Contemporary Art Productıon and Spatial Politics in Brisbane
by Louise Rollman
Creative Industries, Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Brisbane, Australia, 2018
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Motivation
A very timely study, both celebrating and critically evaluating the function of public art in urban development, looking at the ways in which cities may be seen as curatorial contexts through the lens of artistic practices. The problematisation of commissioning processes, often inherently embedded with private interests, makes this a very useful text for public art studies (one that would be very interesting for current research programmes in this field), beyond its specific focus on the city of Brisbane.
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HONOURABLE MENTION - PhD Thesis
The Constitutional Foundations of Public Space
by Stavroula Georgiou
Department of Political Science and Public Administration, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 2016
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Motivation
An ambitious study of the legal implications of public space, also highlighting the 'physical public space' as key concept. This research provides an insightful, transhistorical account of how public spaces are legislated, from personal data to personal safety.
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From left to right: Sebnem Hoskara, Stavroula Georgiou, Husam AlWaer, Jacek Ludwig Scarso.
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In addition to the Research Awards, the conference also honoured exceptional scholarly contributions through the Best Paper Awards. These prestigious recognitions celebrated outstanding academic papers presented during the conference sessions, highlighting cutting-edge research that advances our understanding of public spaces. The awarded papers demonstrated exceptional methodological rigor, theoretical innovation, and practical relevance to contemporary urban challenges. Recipients were selected based on both the quality of their written submissions and their conference presentations, reflecting City Space Architecture's commitment to excellence in scholarly communication and knowledge dissemination.
BEST PAPER AWARDS - Past Present and Future of Public Space 2024
Presented by Darko Radovic
Emeritus Professor, Keio University, Japan
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WINNERS
Fractured Urban Landscapes, Other Public Spaces: Marginalized Representations of the Place under the Paulo de Frontin Overpass in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
by Bernardo Emmanuel
Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Montreal, Canada
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Objective Assessment of Inclusive Design and Management of Public Space: Istanbul Muze Gazhane and the Galataport Cases
by Sezen Türkoğlu and Fatih Terzi
Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
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From left to right: Darko Radovic, Bernardo Emmanuel, Luisa Bravo.
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SHORTLISTED ARTICLES to be published on The Journal of Public Space (2025)
#3 / Fractured Urban Landscapes, Other Public Spaces: Marginalized Representations of the Place under the Paulo de Frontin Overpass in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
by Bernardo Emmanuel
Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Montreal, Canada
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#14 / Objective Assessment of Inclusive Design and Management of Public Space: Istanbul Muze Gazhane and the Galataport Cases
by Sezen Türkoğlu and Fatih Terzi
Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey
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#13 / The Double Functions of Public Spaces in Shaping Imaginary Urban Landscapes
by Bernardo Emmanuel
Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Montreal, Canada
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#18 / Public Space, Facadism and Other Illusions: Scuola Grande di San Marco in Venice
by Ana Morcillo Pallares, Julia McMorrough, Jonathan Rule, John McMorrough
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
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#64 / Connected Arima: Pioneering Digital Solutions for the Public Realm in Trinidad and Tobago
by Renelle Sarjeant
Public Space Global, San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago
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#68 / Public Space Performs: Creative Explorations of Performativity in Public Space
by Jacek Ludwig Scarso
London Metropolitan University, London, United Kingdom
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#69 / Studying Communities of Knowledge and Practice on People-centred and Resilient Public Spaces related to Urban Rivers (PEARLS)
by Vija Viese, Peter Gotsch
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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#55 / New Digital Technologies in Quasi-Public Commercial Centres: Extended Hyper-Reality, Illusion and Augmented Social Interactions
by Yiwei Ou, Manfredo Manfredini
The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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You can read more about the shortlisted articles in the Book of Abstracts.
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From left to right: Darko Radovic, Bernardo Emmanuel, Luisa Bravo, Vija Viese, Jacek Ludwig Scarso and (on the screen from New Zealand) Yiwei Ou.
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The Public Space Research Awards underscore City Space Architecture's mission to promote excellence in urban research and foster dialogue between academia and practice. City Space Architecture proudly supports emerging scholars whose work contributes to our understanding of public spaces as fundamental elements of urban life.
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