Urban population has been growing at an almost exponential rate during the past decades. According to the statistics provided by the World Health Organization, the urban population in 2014 represented 54% of the total global population, a great increase from 34% in 1960, and according to approximations it is expected to grow by another 1.84% per year between 2015 and 2020.

The vast influx of people into the cities has made urban planning a much harder job. Larger urban population results in the increased amount of architecturally unfit buildings that are built in a rush to accommodate the increasing number of people, cars and an extended demand for infrastructure which often results in the reduction and/or diminishment of the public space.

I would like to be a part of Public Space research group, because I’d like to examine how infrastructure is affecting public spaces in cities, and what kind of work is being done to prevent this interference. Public spaces are an important part of the city. They contribute greatly to forming communities in busy city environments. I came across Project for Public Spaces yesterday. It is a pretty interesting organization that helps people create and maintain public spaces that build stronger communities. You can see some of the projects they have done here.

Guy Debord’s “Theory of the Dérive and Definitions” has significantly influenced my topic choice. I really liked the idea of a dérive which is not possible if the streets are not suited for pedestrians. It is impossible to “to drop relations … and other usual motives for movement and action, and … be drawn by the attractions of the terrain” if one risks getting hit by a car in a busy city street with narrow sidewalks. The importance of public spaces like parks will increase even more as cities become smarter and covered with sensors, because these spaces will become destination points who will want to take a break from constant tracking.

I grew up in the middle of the city myself and have always felt the lack of public spaces around my neighborhood. This is another reason why I want to study the relationship between public spaces and infrastructure; I want to learn how infrastructure can be better integrated into the city so that public spaces are left untouched.