Squares have defined urban living since the dawn of democracy, from which they are inseparable. From the start, the public square has been synonymous with a society that acknowledges public life and a life in public, which is to say a society distinguishing the individual from the state [Michael Kimmelman, "Culture: Power of the Place"].
Catie Marron, City Squares: Eighteen Writers on the Spirit and Significance of Squares Around the World
democracy, public-space