Public space as an element of local identity: On the notion of quality in urban design

The author, after studying architecture in Munich and Berlin, and working in a large number of international architectural offices, served as Professor of Urban Design and Planning, Technische Universität Berlin, and as a member of the Deutsche Akademie für Städtebau und Landesplanung. Dr Frick is also Senior Fellow, Center for Metropolitan Planning and Research, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. His numerous publications have been published extensively in Germany and internationally. He is a member of the World Society for Ekistics. The text that follows is a slightly edited and revised version of a paper presented at the international symposion on "Globalization and Local Identity, " organized jointly by the World Society for Ekistics and the University of Shiga Prefecture in Hikone, Japan, 19- 24 September, 2005.