The Design of Public Space

This chapter asks if we as a society take an active role in shaping public space. And if we do, does the shape of public space give moral direction to our conduct? In short, while there is a need for the personal virtue of economy, is there a place for the political virtue of design? The chapter first looks at the historical setting of Churchill's principle, then at the imprint of the principle on the boonies of the northern Rockies, and finally at the impact the principle has recently had on the most metropolitan of cities, New York City, and on the focal point of Ground Zero.