Public Space In Historical Geography

Historical geographers study the human, social, physical and theoretical geographies of the past. “Historical geography may be viewed as being concerned with the historical dimension in geography” (Baker, 2003). Historical processes are examined through the centuries to understand how the connection between people and their environment has evolved and created new geographical and cultural landscapes “the relationship between humans and their environment in particular in socio-cultural, spatio-temporal contexts” (U. Fellmeth et al, 2007). The aim of this essay is to evaluate the contributions that some historical geographers have made towards understanding these historical processes from a geographical and socio cultural lens. The specific focus

However, I will focus on the notion of both private and public space. Public space is a realm of social life away from the family home and a realm of acquaintances and friends (Sennett, 1992). It is a space which holds strong characteristics of diversity, proximity and accessibility (Zukin, 1995). Urban city landscapes have changed as the modern city has developed. European cities grew in size and capacity and residents of the city from every social background had access to the new public spaces evident in the city. Boyer (1996) gives a different assessment of the urban experience maintaining that the notion of public space became a negative one and the notion of private space a more desirable one. She further suggests that the public are no longer a coherent force exemplified by the withdrawal of the middle class into intimacy and privacy and it is also exemplified by the chaos experienced during public activities. Private interest has usurped the public interest in taking over public

Interestingly enough although lantern lighting was intended to be a symbol of police control to secure the city, there was a time during the nineteenth century when “lanternising” was used to take revenge. With the absence of trees the lantern poles were used to hang victims by lynch mobs in Paris. The importance of lighting the streets and what it symbolised was regularly written about in newspapers and novels. Lighting represented power and policing and therefore became the target of any rebellion against authority or the state in Paris in particular. In the play Les Miserables the writer has given many scenes over to the lantern lit streets of Paris where street boys are involved with the destruction of street lighting. In other parts of the play it is evident as the character move away from the lighted areas of the city to the allies and backstreets, these places became the sites of riot and rebel activity. (Schivelbusch 2009). Although the practice of lantern destruction as a revolutionary tool may have begun in Paris this destructions of lighting also occurred in other European cities. In Vienna the demolition of gas lanterns and poles to create red columns of fire, Schivelbusch 2009 poses the question as to whether this was liberating the lower classes who were