4 h. ago Arnaldo Pomodoro, whose bronze spheres decorate prominent public spaces around the world, dies at 98

Arnaldo Pomodoro, one of Italy’s most prominent contemporary artists, has died at age 98

Events

69 h. ago Backlash from thousands who want parking fees scrapped at popular Welsh beach

The council say the charges help to maintain an important public space

Politics

5 d. ago Spain's new travel rules include hefty fines for a specific mistake

Spain has expanded its restrictions on alcohol in public spaces, with drinking on the streets, parks, and on beaches strictly prohibited

Politics

1 week ago In Spain, a chat on the doorstep is a custom worth preserving in the digital age | María Ramírez

It’s great to see so much support for the value of ‘taking the breeze’ – the authorities must respect public space tooThe mayor of a small town in southern Spain felt compelled, a few days ago, to clarify that there is no new municipal ban on older women sitting out on the pavement in their own chairs. He was responding to a furious online backlash directed mostly at the town’s police after they posted a message on social media urging the residents of Santa Fe to show “civility” by not sitting in the streets in the late hours disturbing neighbours.This plea for respect for the public space was hardly a draconian law and order crackdown: it was a reasonably worded reminder. “We know that putting chairs or tables outside the door is a tradition in many towns,” it said, “but public spaces are regulated. If the police ask you to remove them, do so out of respect and in the interests of coexistence.”María Ramírez is a journalist and the deputy managing editor of elDiario.es, a news outle...

Politics

2 w. ago Musk says SpaceX will retire Dragon spacecraft amid bitter Trump dispute

World’s richest man says craft, which Nasa relies on to take astronauts to ISS, will be withdrawn from commissionTrump-Musk spat – latest updatesMusk calls for Trump to be impeached as extraordinary feud escalatesElon Musk, the world’s richest man, on Thursday said his company SpaceX would begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft after he engaged in an extraordinary public fallout with Donald Trump who had threatened to cancel government contracts with Musk’s businesses.“In light of the President’s statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately,” Musk posted on the social media platform X, which he owns. Continue reading...

Technology

2 w. ago 'I woke up one day feeling strange, then I didn't leave the house for six years'

Rachel Williamson, from Kildare, Ireland was diagnosed with agoraphobia - a fear of public spaces - in September 2024 and would feel physically sick even if she went out in her garden

Politics

3 w. ago Aberdeen medic with family history of cardiac issues aims to equip city with defibrillators

Lee Findlay's Aberdeen Defibrillator Project aims to provide defibrillators to public spaces around the city.

Science

3 w. ago Finsbury Circus Gardens: City of London's largest green space officially reopens to the public

For much of past decade Finsbury Circus Gardens has been closed to the public to be used by Crossrail to build the Liverpool Street Elizabeth Line station

Politics

last month ‘I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen next’: Brockwell Park festival row ignites debate over public space

Legal decision in favour of south London campaign group trying to restrict music festivals reignites access rowPublic parks have been a cherished part of British life since the 19th century; for the Victorians they represented a “commitment to cultivate public good within the public realm”.But differing interpretations of this vision for municipal green space are at the heart of a debate over a very 21st-century issue: music festivals. Continue reading...

Politics

last month What are public parks for? Inside the debate sparked by London festival row

Differing interpretations of public access rights are at heart of Brockwell case pitting campaign group against festival fansPublic parks have been a cherished part of British life since the 19th century; for the Victorians they represented a “commitment to cultivate public good within the public realm”.But differing interpretations of this vision for municipal green space are at the heart of a debate over a very 21st-century issue: music festivals. Continue reading...

Politics

last month Those who object to music events shutting off parks are branded nimbys. But this time, I’m on their side | Moya Lothian

A high court dispute over a south London park shows the limits of private interests encroaching on public spaceA grassy south London oasis erupted into a turf war this week. From Monday, visitors to Brockwell Park would have seen calling cards left by both sides. The provocation? A sturdy 3-metre-high boundary fence, encircling large swathes of the 50-hectare (125-acre) stretch that has been designated for music festivals this summer. Daubed on the structure were signs of discord: graffitied messages in stark white lettering. “You fucked our park,” read one. “We fucked your wall.”Brockwell is now the hottest front in a conflict that has started to rear its head in the capital every summer. A week ago, it made the front pages in the form of a bombshell high court ruling against Lambeth council. The authority responsible for the park lost a case brought by Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), a group of local residents and park users who argued that the council had not obtained the proper pl...

Politics

last month Disabled campaigners watching ‘in horror’ as trans people face toilet segregation

Disabled activists say supreme court ruling has left trans community at similar risk of exclusion from public spacesDisabled rights campaigners say they are watching “in horror” as the UK’s trans community faces similar toilet segregation and exclusion from public spaces that they do.The aftermath of the supreme court ruling on biological sex has led to organisations banning trans people from using the toilets of the gender they live as, with accessible facilities frequently promoted as a solution. Continue reading...

Events