Introduction

Sustainability is somewhat of a nebulous concept (Evans and Jones, 2008; Davidson, 2010) which can be applied across a range of social, economic and environmental phenomena. However, its specific application to urban public space remains scarce. For example, Carmona and Wunderlich's (2012) comprehensive review of different types of contemporary urban public spaces within London makes no explicit reference to sustainability, be that environmental, economic or social. Allusions to sustainability arguably come through notions of diversity and the assumption that diverse public spaces are in some way socially sustainable, but again, this is implied and connected to larger and equally problematic concepts such as ‘community’ (see, for example, Project for Public Spaces, 2012).

Chiesura (2004) links the social sustainability of public spaces through their ability to improve the quality of life of users of the spaces. However, ‘quality of life’ has often been applied to selective groups of people at the expense of other users (for more on the use of ‘quality of life’ initiatives, see Mitchell, 2003; Vitale, 2008). A potentially more productive way of examining sustainability in relation to urban public spaces comes through the introduction of cultural sustainability and cultural reproduction. Low et al (2005), in their examination of urban parks, adopt Throsby's (1995) framework in which ‘sustainability refers to the evolutionary or lasting qualities of phenomena, avoidance of short-term or temporary solutions, and a concern with the self-generating or self-perpetuating characteristics of a system’ (Low et al, 2005, p 5). Within a social context, sustainability is thus viewed as ‘maintaining and enhancing the diverse histories, values, and relationships of contemporary populations’ (Low et al, 2005, p 5). This analytical framework is developed through three dimensions: place preservation, cultural ecology theories and cultural diversity (Low et al, 2005, p 5).

Diverse public spaces should thus allow and sustain diverse encounters, bringing different sections of society into contact and potential conflict with each other. This was formally recognised by the first Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, in his ‘100 Public Spaces Programme’, stating: