How Public Spaces Empower Public Sphere in Moscow: the Case of Yama

Public spaces are considered a necessary element of the modern urban environment, both social and architectural. The current paper aims to investigate the way public spaces empower public sphere in Moscow. The study examines the case of Yama, public space situated in the center of Moscow that was widely discussed during the summertime in 2018 and 2019. To conduct this case study, a social media content analysis and interviews with the experts and visitors of Yama were carried out. The results of the research show that to impact the public sphere of the city, public space should be suitable for mass gatherings, provide the place for observation and have no programmed scenario of use. The representation of public space in social networks does not have any significant influence on its popularity among the citizens. However, public space that is represented online appears to have a more consolidated community.