About Public-ation

Welcome to Public-ation, the online Magazine of the Queens College Macaulay Seminar 4: Urban Futures.

In this course, we learned about public space: what it means for space to be public in the urban environment, including the economic, social, political and cultural ideas in the idea of being ‘public,’ and the ways these are played out spatially. We also considered who counts as a member of “the public” in different times and places, and how these various groups interact in the contests over public space across institutions, particularly in contemporary New York City.

The work you see here is the product of groups of 3 – 4 students, working through questions they raised on the topics of: Homelessness, Surveillance and Security, Street Fairs and Parades (Public Displays), Bikes and Bike Lanes, and Privately Owned Public Spaces. Each group was responsible for two feature-length articles with original reporting and research, as well as a video and an infographic.

We are so pleased you stopped by. I hope you learn as much from these students as I did.

– Naomi Adiv, instructor