Space and Sociability: Mapping Melbourne’s City Square

Public squares function as open spaces where people can conduct many activities and events in the city. The ‘life’ of squares evolves and changes according to the contemporary demands of the people. Learning about the evolution of the City Square in Melbourne, Australia, this study aims to analyse how its designs changed over the years in order to accommodate city life. This study employs spatial analysis to examine the relationships between the square’s physical characteristics with people’s activities. The findings reveal that square designs ought to meet evolving social, physical and environmental needs to cater for future requirements and lifestyles.2398-4279 © 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK.. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.Keywords: Public space; spatial analysis; square; urba