Urban Space: Exclusion and Security. Madanipour Exclusion is “an institutionalized form of...

Urban Space: Exclusion and Security

Madanipour Exclusion is “an institutionalized form of controlling access:

to places, to activities, to resources, to information” (p. 160) Exclusion is “spatialized” Exclusion and inclusion both essential to maintaining social

fabric Borders (between nations) are the typical way to

“spatialize” political exclusion Focus on cities as “sites of difference” Consider intersection of city and citizenship

Spatial exclusion in cities Neighborhoods, ghettos Public space v. private space Social cues Security measures, surveillance

April 20, 2023 2The City and Citizenship

Economic - lack of access to employment Spatialized in slums, ghettos (especially jobless),

favelas, etc. Not identical with broader concept of “social exclusion”

Political - Lack of political representation e.g. no right to vote, underrepresentation of women Exclusion of immigrant groups

Cultural – marginalization from (mainstream) symbols, meanings, rituals and discourses Expressed often thru differences of language, religion,

nationality Lack of assimilation? Effect of official language, established church,

secularism?


Dealing with spatial manifestations of social exclusion Von Hausmann’s boulevards Slum clearance programs Homelessness: relocation of homeless shelters in cities; emergence in

suburbs Demolition of public housing and dispersal of residents

Responses to cities as “sites of difference” Modern:

“impose an order onto it so that it becomes understandable and manageable” (161)

“managerial attempts to promote social cohesion by spatial organization” (164) Post-modern:

celebration of diversity Mostly focused on “cultural” diversity rather than economic or political elements

Neighborhoods Obviously spatial: boundaries (somewhat defined) Community as a sociocultural value related to spatial practices (cf.

Jacobs) Also, element of control for political officials (zoning, planning, wards)


Political exclusion most obvious at national scale Borders defined and controlled Exclusions related to citizenship Often tied in with economic and cultural issues Nationalism as fundamental ideological form of inclusion

(and exclusion) Globalization undermines political exclusion

Economic links enhanced Global economic institutions Enclaves; remittances, etc.

Cultural links (global and regional) Spread of “Western” culture Satellite TV

Political institutions and cooperation slower to develop Cosmopolitanism; global cities


Urban space as a commodity “land and property markets have operated so as to ensure the

segregation of income groups and social classes (164) E.g. housing developments in suburbs and gentrification in

cities “Privatization of space”

Need both public space and private space Access to public space must be guarded from intrusion by

private interests (commercialization) Crime and security in (formerly-) public spaces

Reduce levels of uncertainty; respond to fears of crime; protect investments

Large sections of urban space managed by private companies E.g. gated neighborhoods, shopping malls, city center

walkways Controlled access, clear boundaries, heavy private surveillance


Ideals Agora in the Greek polis Jane Jacobs’ neighborhood streets Public plazas in Latin American cities and towns Planned centers in “New Urbanism” of Duany, et al

Characteristics of “Public Space” Open and accessible (to residents and to strangers) Mixed-use (political, economic, social, cultural) Diverse (if cities are “sites of difference” then public spaces are

particular locations to experience this) Nightmares

Empty spaces – formally “public” but boring, unused, desolate Re-purposed – center s shift (redevelopment) Replaced by defensible quasi-public spaces (but actually private

spaces) Replaced by private spaces and virtual public spaces


“Armed response” and “defensible space” Focus on crime and security “market provision of security generates its own paranoid demand”

(180) “security” less about personal safety than insulation from

“’unsavory’ groups and individuals, even crowds in general” Death of reformist view of public space

Olmsted “conceived public landscapes and parks as social safety-valves, mixing classes and ethnicities in common (bourgeois) recreations and enjoyments” (181)

This replaced by decline of public amenities (parks, beaches, libraries, playgrounds)

Redevelopment in interests of corporations Clearing of large area in center (cf. Sassen on new forms of

centrality) Or, emphasizing “historic” district “as a support to middle-class

residential colonization” (182)


Madanipour: “There is a direct relationship between our general sense of freedom and well-being with the choices open to us in our spatial practices” (162)

What “public spaces” have you experienced? Where do you feel free to go? Where do you avoid going? Do you feel excluded? Secure?

Constrained?


Urban Space: Exclusion and Security. Madanipour Exclusion is “an institutionalized form of...

Documents

Transcript of Urban Space: Exclusion and Security. Madanipour Exclusion is “an institutionalized form of...