Comments on: More Thoughts on Spaces of Democracy http://agentsofurbanism.com/2008/06/more-thoughts-on-spaces-of-democracy/ a disposition of the urban condition Mon, 19 Apr 2010 20:13:48 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: urbanodelacruz http://agentsofurbanism.com/2008/06/more-thoughts-on-spaces-of-democracy/comment-page-1/#comment-120 urbanodelacruz Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:31:05 +0000 http://agentsofurbanism.com/?p=362#comment-120 I think we misconstrue "democratic" with "free to do anything you want" -which, of course, is not democracy as it is anarchy. Because democracy is only effective within a framework of participation ("nation of laws, not of men" etc.) -so, too with democratic public spaces -they work best when the framework allows for public participation, a degree of independence and personal safety, and involvement. - so users can choose to be part crowd or to be separate. Open space, in and of itself, is not democratic. Just as well-designed (and enforced) laws make for a functioning democracy - so too does a well designed open space make for democractic space. UDC I think we misconstrue “democratic” with “free to do anything you want” -which, of course, is not democracy as it is anarchy.

Because democracy is only effective within a framework of participation (“nation of laws, not of men” etc.) -so, too with democratic public spaces -they work best when the framework allows for public participation, a degree of independence and personal safety, and involvement. – so users can choose to be part crowd or to be separate.

Open space, in and of itself, is not democratic. Just as well-designed (and enforced) laws make for a functioning democracy – so too does a well designed open space make for democractic space.

UDC

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