This issue of C3 magazine is the first of two issues that examines how the progressive privatisation of our lives in common impacts how we experience public space, wherein the need to escape politically or socially charged spaces causes us to seek refuge in our smartphones.

Reflecting on the design of such buildings as museums, libraries, and operas helps to understand this trend. By contrast, the second feature declares that, despite the current crisis concerning the value of public space, shared and common space is actually expanding. Eleven examples of new hybrids of shared space outside the realm of traditional public space are highlighted, including works by Menis Arquitectos, Studio Gang, and VAUMM.

This issue of C3 magazine is the first of two issues that examines how the progressive privatisation of our lives in common impacts how we experience public space, wherein the need to escape politically or socially charged spaces causes us to seek refuge in our smartphones.

Reflecting on the design of such buildings as museums, libraries, and operas helps to understand this trend. By contrast, the second feature declares that, despite the current crisis concerning the value of public space, shared and common space is actually expanding. Eleven examples of new hybrids of shared space outside the realm of traditional public space are highlighted, including works by Menis Arquitectos, Studio Gang, and VAUMM.