‘Big Society’: Social action and the role of public space

The ‘Big Society’ is a vision for greater personal, professional and civic responsibility where social problems are solved by the communities they affect and social action is prioritised over state intervention. Key to creating more sustainable places, is the reform of relationships between the public and the state. This publication, draws on our wide experience of working with Groundwork since 2003, to examine how public space provides a site of engagement in which social action can be fostered and Big Society nurtured.