A central view is an easy way to describe a public space. It gives the photograph a subject and the plan a clean shape. In use, however, a square is understood through its perimeter: the doorways, crossings, seats, trees, and shopfronts that make the open ground feel attached to daily life.
The UK National Design Guide describes public space through its siting and integration into a wider network of routes. That wording matters. A square cannot be judged only by what happens inside its boundary; its success depends on how comfortably it connects to the streets and buildings around it.
Edges also carry different kinds of permission. A step can offer a seat without becoming a dedicated bench. A canopy can make waiting possible. A low planting bed can create shelter while keeping a view open. These elements give people choices without turning the space into a diagram of rules.
Good public ground therefore has a readable thickness. It supports passage, meeting, waiting, and looking in the same field. The centre remains important, but it works because the edge keeps sending life into it.
Further reading
See the UK government's National Design Guide and the current National Planning Policy Framework.