The Public Space Service System (PSSS) method: A systemic, service-based and actor-oriented evaluation framework

Abstract

This paper presents the PSSS - Public Space Service System method, an innovative approach to assessing and interpreting the value of public space, its services, and systemic features, incorporating stakeholders’ perspectives. In recent decades, investment in public spaces has grown in many cities, becoming more important in public policies and in daily users' activities. With recognition comes the need to evaluate the performance of public spaces, whether in decision-making or design contexts. However, public space is inherently complex, diverse, and multifunctional, which complicates the task of defining what makes a good public space. Additionally, different actors view space differently, generating multiple values (sometimes contradictory) rather than a single universal one. To address this, the PSSS method moves away from conventional practices centred on predetermined attributes to acknowledge subjectivity, treating the values generated by public space as context dependent. The method is structured around four fundamental dimensions: System (spatial relations and connections), Service (benefits provided by public spaces), Actors (users, producers, and regulators), and Value (diversity of recognised values). The paper details the method's development, explaining how the main concepts respond to the new assessment demands and how they are applied within the framework and workflow. The practical implementation is illustrated through case studies from diverse urban settings - historic cores, consolidated cities, suburbs, and dispersed areas - in both European and Latin American contexts, demonstrating its adaptability across different geographies, scales, and urban dynamics. The method proposes an interpretive and collaborative process, emphasising problem identification and resolution within a learning-and-transformation logic, combining interests and viewpoints through interdisciplinary dialogue. This approach responds to the complexity and subjectivity inherent in contemporary urbanism by providing tools that facilitate communication, participation, and collaboration among the diverse actors involved in the production, management, and use of public space, thereby fostering more targeted public policies.