Philanthropy & Public Space

In episode 52, we take a look at the relationship between philanthropy and public space. How has philanthropy shaped our understanding of public space, and what role does public space play in driving philanthropy? Including:

• Philanthropy and rural public space
• The role of philanthropy and voluntary action in shaping the development of national parks in the UK and US
• The history of the National Trust and what it can teach us about the tension between preservation and access
• Urban parks & greenspace in the UK
• Public parks philanthropy in the US- success and controversy.
• How do we ensure that public spaces near where rich people live aren't supported at the expense of those in less well-off neighbourhoods?
• Non-green urban public space: sport facilities and community buildings
• Public space and bridging social capital
• Does the emergence of quasi-public spaces owned and controlled by the private sector raise new challenges for philanthropy and civil society?
• Philanthropy and the concept of the public sphere
• Digital platforms: are they really public spaces? Or do we risk handing control to unaccountable gatekeepers, and what might this mean for civil society freedoms?

Related links

• Historic England, "History of Public Park Funding & Management"
• Our CAF report "Giving a Sense of Place: Philanthropy & the future of UK Civic Identity"
• "Philanthropy and the National Parks in the 20th Century", US National Parks Service
• Morris, (1983) "Voluntary Societies and British Urban Elites, 1780-1850: An Analysis"
• Cannadine, D. (1999) "The First Hundred Years" in Newby (ed) The National Trust: The Next Hundred Years
• The Challenges of Civic Philanthropy, CAF Giving Thought
• The History of Civic Philanthropy in the UK – CAF Giving Thought
• "When Nobody Knows You're a Dog: Tech, Civil Society, and the Fight for Authenticity", guest article for Stanford Digital Impact blog