Inner Courtyards as Public Open Spaces

Over the years more and more researches proved, major part of the world’s population moving back to the cities and in the future even more people will live there. All this is due to that in the metropolitan regions high level economic activity is taking place and their services getting better quality. Besides of that the cities are not only information and service nodes but also varied cultural and educational centers which providing a lot of opportunities for occupational change or to learn new professions which could be attractive to the high qualified people too. Therefore the cities of the future will have to face significant demographic and sociological problems because besides moving into the city various ethnic and religious groups according to the characteristic of the western countries the urban population shows an aging trend. And in addition the increasing number of the disabled people whose mobility even in a crowded city must be ensured. Therefore the public spaces will play an even more significant role in the cities life because this is the “space” in every city where regardless of gender, age, religion, qualification, etc. all social classes can be found. This is especially true for the public squares and parks where people can not only meet with each other from the different social groups but they can dialogue with each other as well; actively or passively relaxing, having fun, etc. All of this can significantly contribute so that these groups could get know each other. However the public spaces of the cities including the squares and parks looking at their size are bounded. All for this could provide solution for example the opening of the inner courtyards to the pedestrians. Because the inner courtyards similar to the public spaces providing opportunities not only for relaxation and conversation but for buying and entertainment also because the ground floor part of the inner courtyards offering the possibility for the creation of shops, offices, coffee shops and restaurants. Therefore in my presentation I would like to show what is needed to an inner courtyard could become a successful public space