'Per servitio di questi populi... ' the development of Valletta's market place : a study of the evolution of the socio-spatial dialectic between the XVIth and the XIXth centuries

Abstract

This study will refine the narrative of the physical transformations taking place during the baroque age, and investigate the role of the baroque market building in Valletta through an analysis of the rents being paid for this central space during this time. The data will also be utilised to extrapolate the dynamics of change of public spaces and allow-for a preliminary insight in urban governance strategies and socio-spatial dialectics as reflected in this building. By studying rents for other sites in Valletta, this piece will also indicate how the Order of St John managed the rental market on a wider scale. This will allow for a controlled assessment of the market building and contextualise the general situation by understanding the site in its overall context.