“Oasis y Vitrinas” reveals two cities in one. On the one hand, a New York Oasis in full constructive euphoria after the Second World War. A city where diversity of uses, social sensitivity, exquisite sophistication, close supervision and continuous maintenance are key to maintaining the vulnerable balance of urban life. On the other hand, the text looks back to a contemporary New York. A New York Showcase where the pressure of the real estate market, the over protection, the private and political interests, the excessive commodification and programming of uses, compromise the civic character of the urban open space. A reading that invites reflection on the true meaning of the revitalization of the public, understood in relation to the interactions that it fosters and that occur beyond the intentions of the authors of the projects. An opportunity that not only delves into the public dimension of the works analyzed, but aims to shed light on the process, not always visible, of the development of this work in the public space: who proposes them, why and to whom they are addressed.