This book is about the apublic realm,a defined as a particular kind of social territory that is found almost exclusively in large settlements. This particular form of social-psychological space comes into being whenever a piece of actual physical space is dominated by relationships between and among persons who are strangers to one another, as often occurs in urban bars, buses, plazas, parks, coffee houses, streets, and so forth. The Public Realm explores the social life that occurs in such social-psychological spaces and the forces that threaten it. Choice noted that, aThe authoras writing style is unusually accessible, and the often fascinating narrative is generously supported by well-chosen photos.a