Living Politics in the City

Public space and performativity from the perspective of architecture

In recent decades, architecture has been seen as a field of practice that contributes greatly to the performativity of public space. In spite of the explosion of virtual communities through social media and the limitations imposed by pandemics, architecture today still holds an active role in (literally) building our societies. Bearing in mind its acute politicisation in past years, Living Politics in the City looks at public space from the perspective of architecture and its effective contribution, not as a prop but as an actual catalyst for embodying politics. The essays gathered here span five continents, activating various disciplinary approaches to architecture and examining it in different contexts: from a Palestinian refugee camp to the most vibrant urban axis in Sao Paolo, from the numerous city squares around the world crowded with rebellious populations, to the proximal politics of housing in Australia.

Contributors: Endriana Audisho (University of Technology Sydney), Maja Babic (Charles University ), Alexandra Biehler (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Marseille), Tracey Bowen (University of Toronto Mississauga), Etienne Delprat (Rennes 2 University), Angelique Edmonds (University of South Australia), Claudia Faraone (IUAV Venice School of Architecture, ETICity), Caterina Frisone (Oxford Brookes University), Catherine Grout (ENSAPL Lille), Pavel Kunysz (University of Liège), Flavia Marcello (Swinburne University of Technology), Eric Le Coguiec (University of Liège), Tova Lubinsky (University of Technology Sydney), Giovanna Muzzi (IUAV Venice School of Architecture, ETICity), Can Onaner (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Bretagne), Shadi Saleh (KU Leuven), Frédéric Sotinel (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Bretagne), Daniel Talesnik (University of Cambridge), (Karolina Wilczynska (Adam Mickiewicz University), Ian Woodcock (Swinburne University of Technology)

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Acknowledgements
Introduction Marion Hohlfeldt and Carmen Popescu
PART 1. ARCHITECTURING THE POLIS Chapter 1. The Emergence of a Public Space in Ouagadougou Alexandra Biehler
Chapter 2. On Public Spaces of Palestinian Refugee Camps: The Social Production and Construction of Almarkaz ‘Taxi Station’ Shadi Saleh
Chapter 3. Negotiating the Present in the Balkans: Macedonia Square Maja Babić
Chapter 4. We Gonna Rock Down to Paulista Avenue , or the Multidimensional Protagonism of São Paulo’s Avenida Paulista Daniel Talesnik
Chapter 5. Oppositional Architecture(s): Making the Common Etienne Delprat
Chapter 6. The Crowd, Revolt and Assembly Can Onaner
PART 2. PERFORMING POLITICS OF PLACE Chapter 7. Underplaces: ‘Sky Rail’, Politics and Alternative Urban Futures for Melbourne Ian Woodcock
Chapter 8. The Long-Term Consequences of Temporary Urban Planning: Negotiating Who’s the Public in Public Spaces to Be Pavel Kunysz and Eric Le Coguiec
Chapter 9. Contest and Capital: The Gentrification of Graffiti in the Creative City of Toronto Tracey Bowen
Chapter 10. Cities Under Surveillance: Sydney and Johannesburg – Public Space as Territories in Transformation Endriana Audisho and Tova Lubinsky
Chapter 11. Rogue Poster Campaigns: Amplifying Political Discourse between Urban and Cyber Arenas Flavia Marcello
PART 3. WHO CARES? Chapter 12. Urban Space and Collective Practices as a Political Matter: The Case of the ‘Piave’ Neighbourhood in Mestre (Venice) Claudia Faraone and Giovanna Muzzi
Chapter 13. Individuals in Crowded Places Caterina Frisone
Chapter 14. How Do We Structure Relatedness? Differentiated Solidarity and the Obligations of Proximal Dwelling Angelique Edmonds
Chapter 15. Maintaining Public Space: Sanitation Actions of Mierle Laderman Ukeles Karolina Wilczyńska
Chapter 16. Common World, Place and Traces Catherine Grout
Chapter 17. A Red Rose in Berlin Frédéric Sotinel
About the Authors

Marion Hohlfeldt

Marion Hohlfeldt is associate professor of contemporary art history at Rennes 2 University and Director of the Graduate School for Creative Approaches on Public Space.

Carmen Popescu

Carmen Popescu is professor of architectural history at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris Val-de-Seine.