With the emergence of the first settlements, people needed areas that would serve as a place for social activities. The gradual growth of these settlements led to an increase in the importance of these areas, with specialized areas for cultural buildings or trade. Over time, the urban structure became more complex, but streets and squares always remained the main formative elements. Technological development made changes in the development of cities and contrasted new concepts with the traditions of the past, subordinating design activities to the needs of modern transportation, technical, environmental and economic feasibility.
Over a long period of time, the open public space of cities and its understanding have been changing in the perception of architects, and indeed the people for whom these spaces are intended. The worldview, functions, and interrelationships of individual components of the architectural environment have been transformed, and the understanding of the goals of space has also changed, which means that we should strive for such spaces. The article reviews, summarizes and systematizes the main historical periods of formation and their impact on the modern development of open public spaces in cities. The common features and characteristic features of the formation of open public spaces in cities at each of the main historical stages are identified. The importance of taking into account the relationship between human social needs and physical space is shown. The relationship between the formation of public spaces in Ukrainian cities and the main historical stages is presented.
The analysis of the main historical periods made it possible to trace the attitude of people to the open public space of cities at different times, as well as to identify common and distinctive features, constant features and elements. It was found that the need for open public spaces was present at all historical stages, but their functional content changed. It can be traced that European architecture, the only difference is that the development of urban planning in Ukraine, similar to the European periods, occurred with a certain delay.