PUBLIC AFFAIRS
公共空间谁与共？
In China, this summer might be dubbed the “summer of the outdoors”— when urbanites, barred from indoor venues by Covid restrictions, took to the streets to eat and relax. But China’s history of truly public spaces is short, and debates continue to rage over safety and control. Meanwhile, public libraries have been pioneers in welcoming people of all backgrounds, but face pandemic rules and a lack of resources, while millions of pet owners still struggle to find places accepting of their furry companions.
Despite having some of the largest public squares in the world, urban China suffers from a conspicuous lack of spaces for people to gather, relax, and interact. China’s city planners are belatedly awakening to the need for more parks, riversides, and shared spaces to improve residents’ health and quality of life. Meanwhile, local governments are investing in libraries to provide comfortable areas for anyone to spend their time in safety, and are turning some of them into one-stop community service centers. Yet in both these cases, what appears open to all may be “confined,” while the pandemic has created barriers to creating more open spaces.
Pets, too, struggle to find welcoming spots to hang out, with urban authorities increasingly restricting where owners can take their animal friends, and regulating pet behavior with fines and even bans. China’s urban residents, animals and humans alike, continue to navigate ways to enjoy public space together.