A History of Contested Public Space in England, 1750-today
What is public space?
Has it always been public?
What is private space?
Who has the right to use it?
How has it been contested?
This website is the project of Professor Katrina Navickas.
I am writing a book exploring the history of public space in England from 1750 to today. This website offers work in progress, maps and data as well as a range of links to useful sources.
From enclosure and improvement acts in the 18th century, through planned settlements in the 19th century, to slum clearance, new towns and Business Improvement Districts, and private-public initiatives in the 20th and 21st centuries, public space has been contested and privatised.
I’m particularly interested in planning disputes and protests that have resonance to the present day. Contact me.
Professor Katrina Navickas is Professor of History at the University of Hertfordshire. She writes widely on the history of protest, landscape and public space. She appears on BBC Radio 4, and has written for the LRB, Tribune and other publications. About me.