The experiment aimed to observe and document the development of a public space in the virtual world of Second Life. The public space was provided to the residents of this world in the shape of an empty island called “public townscape”.
It was not intended to develop a public space that is orientated on its counterpart from the real world, like a place or piazza. The research objective was rather to study the emerging of a free sphere for action, interaction and communication. 

Therefore, the basic setting for the island “public townscape” is an extensive lack of settings. The residents are empowered to generate their own public space, with the absence of predefined defaults, regulations and standards.