The public - private partnership has proven a successful model for urban regeneration; nonetheless, the vague differentiation of the public environments from private endeavors could have an alienating result on the social life of the public/pseudo public realm.
Certainly, it could be argued that civic and social life has migrated to the virtual sphere where it enjoys enthusiastic support, thus, a genuine unbiased brick and mortar public space could be considered an outmoded prospect; anachronistic, - like spittoons, or rotary public phones on every street corner.
Nevertheless, what is forsaken by this shift in civic/social expectation, and are we willing to discard the duties and responsibilities enshrined in our national ethos: peaceable assembly, free speech and civic participation, in exchange for embellishment and a false sense of security...what does it suggest regarding the fortitude of a democracy in the 21st century… Unfortunately, these consideration and many like them are not integral part of the civic debate, hence, by omission our silence sanctions the relentless corporate transformation of the public urban realm.
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