Urban public space and its social roles – an attempt at systematization

Abstract

_{The article presents the idea of the six roles of urban public space. These roles are: utility, interactive, civic and political, axiological, symbolic and identical. Their identification is based on data obtained from several research projects conducted by the author and co-authors, which concerned the social functioning and experiencing of public spaces by the inhabitants in various Polish cities in the years 2010–2017. The theoretical basis of the article was formed on the assumptions of culturalism and the socio-spatial approach to urban sociology, which emphasize the relationship of individuals and their community with respect to the spaces they utilize, individually and collectively}