At the center of ongoing protests and uproar in the Middle East, iconic and historical public spaces hold political clout.
With attention often directed towards the influence of social networking, one cannot dismiss the influence public areas hold. From Egypt, to Tunisia, to Syria, protesters have taken to the streets to voice their opposition.
"the uprisings in the Middle East has largely been overshadowed by the role that social networking played in fomenting rebellion. For all the praise that has rightly been lavished upon the Arab world's youthful revolutionaries, one must not forget the gray, old spaces where they massed."
According to Colombia University Professor of Architecture, Vishaan Chakrabarti, governments recognize public space as a threat,
"You need to actually denigrate the public space to denigrate the meaning of the movement."
FULL STORY: Square Roots: How Public Spaces Helped Mold the Arab Spring
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research