2019/05/28 by Xuefan Zhang, Yanling He · 22 citations
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Computer science #Economics #Epistemology #Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies #Language, Metaphor, and Cognition #Microeconomics #Philosophy #Plan (archaeology) #Preference #Public Spaces through Art #Public space #Sociology #Space (punctuation)
paper · doi:10.1177/0095399719852897
published in Administration & Society 52(5), 749-770 (SAGE Publishing)
openalex publication_date 2019/05/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
While the concept of public space is frequently referenced, its definition is ambiguous. Current studies have attempted to clarify the definitions of public space. However, the supposed definitions of public space are usually contradictory upon further inspection. This article argues that epistemological assumptions are the main reason for these logical problems. The entity view, the preference for a real definition, and the concentration on “space in plan” should be changed. Inspired by Wittgenstein’s epistemology, this article proposes a framework for defining public space, which will help administrators flexibly and consistently identify the public nature of diverse semipublic spaces.