On Public Issues and Public Spaces – a Design Course Focusing on the Danube Bank in Budapest

Abstract

This article discusses three theses that explore the public realm in the modern city. Firstly, constructing buildings and places is always a public issue because the level of change within the sociophysical environment always exceeds the simple physical act of building. Public space is a controversial concept in architecture, environmental psychology and also in geography. Although its area in reality is determined by its use and size, our thought system defines public space as a social space rather than a three-dimensional physical space. Second, according to studies, spaces created through a cooperation of architecture and environmental psychology are more gratifying from both a human and an environmental perspective. Lastly, from the shared viewpoint of environmental psychology and architecture, the water and waterside are outstanding environment-shaping factors and focal points for public issues.