Town square

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Town square" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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.

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.