Nowadays, ICTs is one of the major factors influencing urban development. Consequently, public spaces – an important urban subsystem – are shaped by interaction with the new technologies. This paper aims to present the ways, in which different ICT tools can increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of public spaces, in opposition to several approaches stating that technologies can only encourage segregation of individuals. The article is focused on possibilities to open the public realm for functions and activities that are usually regarded as private. The major roles that ICTs can play in the public space are: education, information, art and entertainment. Based on this classification various examples and proposals of ICTs interventions in public spaces are presented and analysed, including the Zaragoza’s Digital Mile, the Cloud at Athens and the concept of Flux Space. The specificity of this paper rests on a constant parallel drawn between the interventions around the globe and Romania, aiming to highlight the potential for competitiveness of Romanian public spaces, as a result of using various ICTs tools.

Article in: English

Article published: 2013-10-21