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On Jan. 20, Americans focused their attention on Washington, D.C., as the presidential inauguration ceremony took place on the National Mall, a place that urban scholars, geographers and historians refer to as a “stage for democracy.”
As an urban geographer, I study the important role of public space in cities. Perhaps no public space is more important in America than the National Mall. Its monuments, memorials and staged events contribute to a larger national narrative about identity, reflecting the meanings of democracy and citizenship. And, it is a place that enshrines First Amendment rights. I examine
