Public Space and the Geography of the Modern City
Peter G. Goheen
Abstract: Public space is often seen as problem space in the modern city: it is now as it has always been a space of contention. It is the visible and accessible venue wherein the public ± comprising institutions and citizens acting in concert ± enact rituals and make claims designed to win recognition. This article discusses two theses which regard the public realm in the modern city from very different perspectives. It then seeks to understand the strikingly contrary conclusions about the public sphere by exploring several of the issues which proponents of the two viewpoints interpret differently.
Key words: public space, public symbols, rituals, modern city.
Eugene’s Exclusion Ordinance: A Dilemma for Civil Liberties, Public Space, and the Homeless
Heather Marek
Abstract: This paper uses interviews with community members, case law, police data, local newspapers and broadcasts, and other literature to examine some of the conundrums that arise for the City of Eugene in enacting the Exclusion Ordinance. It includes an extensive analysis of the constitutional issues surrounding the ordinance, as well as legal precedent. This paper looks at how exclusion represents the community‘s conceptualization and use of law enforcement and public spaces, and how this ordinance is part of the systemic privatization of the commons. Finally, it explores how exclusion and other laws impact vulnerable members of the community. The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the issues the Exclusion Ordinance poses to civil liberties and human rights, through the lens of an activist. The analysis primarily focuses on the perspective of the homeless and youth populations, as these are often underrepresented in policy decisions.