The urban public space and its privatization: the analysis of sociological approaches

The article presents a critical review and a comparative analysis of sociological approaches to the study of the privatization of the urban public space. The semantics of the concepts of public space, privatization and privatization of the urban public space is considered. The study estimates the social significance and impact of privatization of the municipality’s public space. The paper distinguishes the following forms of privatization: the “elite” one, or privatization from above, and the grassroots one; managed and spontaneous privatization. It shows their similarities and differences as well. Besides, the author presents and analyzes the arguments supporting and criticizing the “elite” and grassroots privatization of space. It is concluded that in a modern city the total area and the social significance of open public spaces are reduced. This leads to a restriction of free interactions and communication between representatives of different social groups. The consequences of this restriction are the degradation of open public spaces and the decline in the quality of life of citizens who do not have access to the privatized public spaces.