Contemporary Public Spaces As Meeting Places

Examples presented in the paper are focused on functional and formal elements that have a positive impact on the attractiveness of the use of public space in the city. They show how in different scale and using various architectural and urban elements to create or transform a space that has gained acceptance and responded to the needs of different user groups. The study used methods of observation and comparison of selected examples in different locations in the world and the method of analysis of the sources. Based on observation and analysis of literature the authors have drawn up a list of criteria allowing the assessment of the quality of space with emphasis on the validity of the social aspect.