The meaning of urban plaza is defined as a vacant place for public in city. In the case of western culture, there are a number of cities, which have been developed based on this sort of urban plaza and the plazas of these cities are important elements of European urban structure. In general, the meaning of 'publicity' in a city seems to have started from 'agora', which is from ancient Greek. A plaza as an open space in a city was realized as a solution, which people have pursued in order to improve their psychological safety and deterioration of the physical environment. Furthermore, it was made by necessity that was able to gather people in a place and was an indicator space with culture, political, and social activity. Procuring a traffic space, which is increasing more in a city, is expressed based on declining plaza and maximizing land use, on the other hands, it indicates the importance of a way to vitalize social public space in urban life. In addition, urban and social modernization have caused proliferation and concentration of urban services and, as a result of it, it has caused population increase and architectural densification.

Dear Krzysztof Herman,

Yes, city squares, city parks and other green areas in the city play a very important pro-health, aesthetic, pro-ecological role, etc. In city parks, people can rest, they can actively rest by practicing physical activity. Educational lessons on nature and biology can be conducted in city parks and city botanical gardens. In city parks there may be playgrounds for children and places where city festivals are held. City parks, numerous green squares and other green areas improve the air condition in the urban agglomeration. Unfortunately, there are no city parks in some cities. There are animals in city parks, ie squirrels, birds, etc. In city parks, there may also be ponds and canals, which, apart from their aesthetic value, can improve the condition of the city's microclimate by increasing the level of air humidity, which is especially important in summer during hot weather and drought. In a situation where ecological flower meadows and flower beds are created in city parks, then it is the perfect environment for pollinating insects. In this way, city parks can save a significant part of the population of pollinating insects, which have been dying out in recent years due to the use of pesticides and other chemical plant protection products in traditional, productive agriculture. Therefore, without city parks, the living conditions of city residents may be much lower.

Best regards,

Dariusz Prokopowicz

What about the "Beestenmarkt" in historical city of Delft, the Netherlands? In urbanism these urban squares are areas sensitive to heat stress. Trees and its canopy can 'intercept' solar radiation and block wind. Would be good to search for urban green against the heat studies.

And to Dariusz Prokopowicz and Usama Badawy thanks for your answers but they are off-topic.

Nanco Dolman That is a great example! I'll read about Beestenmarkt. Thanks!

Paris has 450 "squares"' piazzas, "place" etc. Have a look through GoogleEarth. Rome and all Italy. Salonique Greece has good covers. But "urban forests" have not much to do with urbanity. Squares are best for orientation. Barcelona has hundreds' all equal' but fortunately small.

Krzysztof Herman, I think you need to look at two kinds of cities the historical cities and the new cities. What has been made in these green areas as you can see in

1. Isfahan https://apochi.com/attractions/isfahan/naghshe-jahan-square/

2. Maraghe https://www.itto.org/iran/city/Maragheh/

3. Shiraz https://greetingiran.com/travel-guide/shiraz-travel-guide/

All these greenish areas are highly dependent on water policies, ideologies, religion, mythology, and seasonal/ spatial temperature and precipitation changes.

Krzysztof Herman, check out "Kungsträdgården" in the central Stockholm area. It has a high proportion of trees and it is a place of social interaction. For example see this photo: https://www.google.com/maps/@59.3318258,18.0715095,3a,75y,351.16h,89.24t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipOqXd34mMDr5y6_6FUfDAh45fekXKHIzBSxFg9y!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipOqXd34mMDr5y6_6FUfDAh45fekXKHIzBSxFg9y%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi-0-ya22.23463-ro-0-fo100!7i13312!8i6656

Is it the trees that make the square or a good layout of overall city plan?

The plan is all important' as trees come and go.

Have a look at USA towns. Most of them do no have piazzas or squares, the result of bad initial plans, which were not even done by planners.

Compare with Europe. Paris has more than 400 town squares (Place), 4 to 5 per square km. Not much trees.

Republic Square in Paris is part of the Boulevard System City Design (Avenue la Republique, Boulevard du Saint Martin, de Magenta, Rue du Temple). A similar concept is used in the Boulevard Ring in Moscow.

A wasteland, a city square in front of the town hall, а flowerbed, a park, a garden, а street or a traffic intersection can be planted with trees to the extent that they do not change the properties of the premises and acquire a new quality that could be expressed by the new notion.

Then again, they might not. As I said before, because of public land ownership there, the "forum" is much more permanent than the tree.

The population of many modern cities has ceased to actively use the historical squares, which served as resurrection markets and a place of collective life for the citizens. If the state considers this function of the city obsolete, it can turn such premises (from the middle of XIX centuries architects it called- public space) into a parking permanent or temporary pool, football field or park made of natural or artificial trees. The question is for how long that new decoration of the city will exist?

why you do not answer your question, which is not at all proven to be a question.

Even the Greek or the Roman forums did not function forever. It is the idea that sustains urbanity. Not football grounds, parking areas and so forth as you seem to imply' without any basis.

Which "the idea of sustains urbanity" exists if there is no one long enough existing element which makes up a city?

Even people continue to exist which is funny and paradoxical.

You must be joking.

Cities exist for centuries on end, through wars, fire, epidemy and neglect.

You still see streets, boulevards, piazzas, squares, hanging places, (in films)

and bistrots.(in Moscow).

People did not always live in cities (Kathelin Kenyon-Klaus Schmidt), many of them do not live in them today (about 50% - A / Conf.226 / PC.1 / 5 (UN)) and most likely get rid of them in the future (G .Simmel - Saskia Sassen).