The Role of Public Spaces in the Realization of City Prosperity and Sustainable Development

Public spaces are those that embrace a wide range of citizens from child to old, woman and man, and with every religion and race; therefore, public spaces have the potential to strengthen social cohesion, economic development, and the improvement of the quality of collective life. The realization of these issues requires the consideration of the design and visual quality of public spaces so that these spaces are able to significantly reduce environmental stimuli and increase the vitality of the society. Correct management of public spaces can informally increase the collective knowledge and individual and social skills of urban residents. This is achieved in the light of people’s participation in the economic, political and administrative affairs of the city as well as the increase in the level of their social interactions. Of course, the role of environmental-physical elements, such as symbols and signs, should not be ignored in raising awareness and citizens’ visual perception. Accordingly, public spaces should be considered as a platform for encouraging citizens to participate and accept social responsibilities in order to transfer knowledge and awareness to improve citizens’ quality of life. Therefore, in this research, it has been attempted to study the issues that need attention to urban public spaces management while studying the literature of city prosperity and sustainable development. In terms of method, this research is descriptive-analytic. The results indicated that development and attention to public spaces lead to economic development of city, improvement of citizens’ health and education, and rebuilding the local identities of the city.