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Town square

A square (or plaza, public square, or urban square) is an open public space used for various activities.[1] Squares are not necessarily a true geometric square. Most squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets, concerts, political rallies, and other events that require firm ground.

Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see Plaza (disambiguation), Town square (disambiguation), City square (disambiguation), Public square (disambiguation), and Piazza (disambiguation).

A town square is commonly found in the heart of a traditional town and is used for community gatherings. A square in a city may be called a city square. Related concepts are the civic center, the market square and the village green.


Being centrally located, town squares are usually surrounded by small shops such as bakeries, meat markets, cheese stores, and clothing stores. At their center is often a well, monument, statue or other feature. Those with fountains are sometimes called fountain squares.


The term "town square" (especially via the term "public square") is synonymous with the politics of many cultures, and the names of a certain town squares, such as the Euromaidan or Red Square, have become symbolic of specific political events throughout history.

Australia[edit]

The city centre of Adelaide and the adjacent suburb of North Adelaide, in South Australia, were planned by Colonel William Light in 1837. The city streets were laid out in a grid plan, with the city centre including a central public square, Victoria Square, and four public squares in the centre of each quarter of the city. North Adelaide has two public squares. The city was also designed to be surrounded by park lands, and all of these features still exist today, with the squares maintained as mostly green spaces.[2][3]

United Kingdom[edit]

In the United Kingdom, and especially in London and Edinburgh, a "square" has a wider meaning. There are public squares of the type described above but the term is also used for formal open spaces surrounded by houses with private gardens at the centre, sometimes known as garden squares. Most of these were built in the 18th and 19th centuries. In some cases the gardens are now open to the public. See the Squares in London category. Additionally, many public squares were created in towns and cities across the UK as part of urban redevelopment following the Blitz. Squares can also be quite small and resemble courtyards, especially in the City of London.

a town square, as in the Spanish usage

"any open area usually located near urban buildings and often featuring walkways, trees and shrubs, places to sit, and sometimes shops"

a of any size

shopping center

a , where traffic must temporarily stop to pay tolls

toll plaza

an area adjacent to an expressway that has service facilities (such as restaurants, gas stations, and restrooms)

In some cities, especially in New England, the term "square" (as its Spanish equivalent, plaza) is applied to a commercial area (like Central Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts), usually formed around the intersection of three or more streets, and which originally consisted of some open area (many of which have been filled in with traffic islands and other traffic calming features). Many of these intersections are irregular rather than square.[18]


The placita (Spanish for "little plaza"), as it is known in the Southwestern United States, is a common feature within the boundaries of the former provincial kingdom of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. They are a blend of Hispano and Pueblo design styles, several of which continue to be hubs for cities and towns in New Mexico, including Santa Fe Plaza, Old Town Albuquerque, Acoma Pueblo's plaza, Taos Downtown Historic District, Mesilla Plaza, Mora, and Las Vegas Plaza.


In U.S. English, a plaza can mean one of several things:[19]


Today's metropolitan landscapes often incorporate the plaza as a design element, or as an outcome of zoning regulations, building budgetary constraints, and the like. Sociologist William H. Whyte conducted an extensive study of plazas in New York City: his study humanized the way modern urban plazas are conceptualized, and helped usher in significant design changes in the making of plazas. They can be used to open spaces for low-income neighborhoods, and can also the overall aesthetic of the surrounding area boosting economic vitality, pedestrian mobility and safety for pedestrians.[20] Most plazas are created out of a collaboration between local non-profit applicants and city officials which requires approval from the city.[21]


Throughout North America, words like place, square, or plaza frequently appear in the names of commercial developments such as shopping centers and hotels.

Cathedral Square

List of city squares

List of city squares by size

Urban vitality

Pitlane Magazine.com: "The Hidden Origin of the Town Square"

BBC.com: "The Violent History of Public Squares"

"This research initiative is an attempt to rediscover the lost or neglected urban symbols. The Urban Square is a city's 'heart and soul' and that is the focus of this project."