Public space and the playing aspect as strategies of human urban planning in Copenhagen, Barcelona, Medellin and Curitiba

Abstract The contemporary urban debate in Brazil resumes social critique as a conceptual basis to reaffirm public spaces as means to promote social practices and urban culture, valuing diversity, democracy and the exercise of citizenship. The new paths of urbanism are analyzed here based on the fundamental role played by free public spaces, including children’s playing spaces, and through empirical examples of urban transformations implemented in Copenhagen, Barcelona, Medellin, and Curitiba. By highlighting issues, problems and deficiencies, perspectives open up and alternatives for the future of cities are discussed, based on a type of planning that reframes the urban concept and revitalizes the playing aspect as a possibility of optimizing a human and sustainable city for all citizens.