Urban Cultures and Public Spaces the University Library and the City Muse um of Volos as Cultural Spaces and Public Spaces
Abstract:
Public spaces have always served as meeting places and communication places in the city, and they are open and constantly evolving. Public spaces, among other things, contribute to improving the quality of life and the social cohesion. Through appropriate design and active community participation, municipalities can create vibrant and accessible public spaces that increase the quality of life and the well-being of residents. The spaces in Volos that are related to public space are the City Museum and the University Library, which essentially plays the role of a Public Library but remains closed after the severe storms Daniel and Elias that hit the city of Volos on September 2023. In this article, we will try to convey the immense value that these two public spaces hold today in the city. To what extent these two spaces and how they have evolved into centers of culture and education for the city. We will emphasize to their contribution on interaction among individuals, the spatial relationships between internal and external spaces, how they promote the functional relationships that allow interaction, the degrees of freedom provided to allow spontaneous activities, and new arrangements that augment the voice and the presence of often marginalized groups of users/identities. Citizens enjoy visiting libraries, feeling comfortable and welcomed in these spaces, and they finding a sense of relaxation and pleasure that is necessary to encourage learning, as proven by our research on the University library. On the other hand, the City Museum is a space that contributes to shaping collective memory and identity, it emits aesthetic, emotional, and intellectual stimuli in difficult times. And it is in constant dialogue with citizens.
