Peter Cachola, architect, director of the German Architecture Museum (DAM) and jury member for the European Prize for Urban Public Space since 2010 edition, was interviewed by Shared Spaces.

In the interview, Peter Cachola made several points about public space. First, he says, public space must offer opportunities for all the citizens, as well as for visitors. He also sees the climate in each city as an important factor in the composition of public space and believes, for example, that the quality of urban design is better in countries like Spain, France, and Portugal because their citizens spend more time outdoors. As for threats to public space, Peter Cachola says that one of the main problems is that many public spaces are useful and practical for only a few years. He believes that “good public space should endure for a very long time”. Finally, he spoke about the relations between the market, democracy and public space and, in particular, questions like the essential role of public space as a place where citizens can voice their protests.