Our
cities drive citizens into privacy. Behind the closed
doors of the home, the family, dog, domestic chores,
television takes over and wraps us all away from our
society. Yet the real world takes over once we step
outside our front door. There are forces at work
which determine every moment of our lives. What can
we do?
The public square, the piazza, the agora, the public
park were once meeting places not only for neighborly
nods and greetings, but where opinions could be
exchanged on matters of the day, both private and
public.
Drawing on his experience in community journalism,
Roussopoulos writes on a broad range of issues that
affect the daily life of neighborhoods and cities,
using The Public Place as a source of
citizen participation.
"The lessons to be learned are
invaluable to any community...in this regard Public
Place acts as a manual of sorts, guiding communities
by the principals of social ecology. The topics were
well chosen. Roussopoulos is encouraging. I think
Public Place succeeds in making citizens conscious of
their role in the community, and how they too can
make significant change."
--James Hörner,
Canadian Content (for the full review)
"Roussopoulos knows
that the success of his planet, and more importantly,
his city, requires that dialogue, exchanges,
opinions, and ideas be a matter for all. Don't read
Public Place expecting a master plan, or a blueprint
for a successful community. However, you can expect
it to help you open your own eyes into your own
community. Someday you may be invited to its public
place."
--Jean-Michel Lemieux, the Peace and Environment
Resource Centre
(for the full review)
Table of Contents
Dimitrios I. Roussopoulos is an editor, writer, and
ecologist. He has written widely on
international politics, democracy, and social change.
His most recent books are Dissidence: Essays
Against the Mainstream (1992), and Political
Ecology (1993) Black Rose Books.
200 pages, bibliography, index
Paperback ISBN: 1-55164-156-9 $19.99
Hardcover ISBN: 1-55164-157-7 $48.99
Current Affairs
December 1999
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