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I didn’t seriously think that Denna was the enemy here, but her comments did prove a handy vehicle to make my point (apologies, Denna). I am generally pleased by the amount of attention and discussion that public realm is receiving, and think there have been a number of excellent points made here. However, I am concerned that in such difficult economic times, funds for public space could easily be written off as a costly, non-essential. While I agree that having a roof over your head is one of our most basic human rights, I don’t think that having safe, pleasant exterior environments is far behind. I also dislike the classifying of all exterior spaces as ‘landscaping’, which puts it in the same bracket as grass mowing, flower beds and general prettification. The issues are bigger than this; it is about ‘place making’ and whether we are looking at the regeneration of existing communities, or the creation of new ones, investment in public space (over and above purely, green space) will be vital to their long-term success. The issues associated are invariably complex and by their nature go beyond normal professional boundaries. The beauty of public space is that is belongs to everyone and potentially benefits everyone, but there are difficulties associated with this, as it often involves trying to accommodate opposing requirements into one scheme. Just see the current debate regarding shared space (or rather kerbs) and guide dogs.