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Designing for and against Symbolic Boundaries

Designing for and against Symbolic Boundaries Rory Kramer* Villanova University Urban design is the physical realization of the collective imagination of the city and more importantly, what the city should be. To oversimplify, urban designs have gone through three phases that largely mirror economic shifts in the broader economy. We have seen urban design transition from the desire to organize the chaotic city, to the architecture of fear and suburbanization in the declining and segregated city, to today’s design and place- making, which mirrors the financialization of the city and the rise of the service economy. Placemaking today creates pop-ups out of vacant lots, museums of former factories, and artisanal boutiques out of vocational schools closed due to school budget crises. This is a new wave of the “disneyfication” of the city (Zukin 1995) through exposed ductwork, ghost signs, and rooftop bars with craft cocktails (Ocejo 2014). City governments and pri- vate developers are investing in urban design and placemaking, from small scale pop-up beer gardens or art spaces in vacant properties to billion-dollar redevelopment efforts to build neighborhoods from scratch. Such placemaking and urban design promises to create community, foster senses of safety, and improve real estate values. But for whom are these places http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png City and Community SAGE

Designing for and against Symbolic Boundaries

City and Community , Volume 16 (4): 1 – Dec 1, 2017

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References (31)

Publisher
SAGE
Copyright
© 2017 American Sociological Association
ISSN
1535-6841
eISSN
1540-6040
DOI
10.1111/cico.12267
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Rory Kramer* Villanova University Urban design is the physical realization of the collective imagination of the city and more importantly, what the city should be. To oversimplify, urban designs have gone through three phases that largely mirror economic shifts in the broader economy. We have seen urban design transition from the desire to organize the chaotic city, to the architecture of fear and suburbanization in the declining and segregated city, to today’s design and place- making, which mirrors the financialization of the city and the rise of the service economy. Placemaking today creates pop-ups out of vacant lots, museums of former factories, and artisanal boutiques out of vocational schools closed due to school budget crises. This is a new wave of the “disneyfication” of the city (Zukin 1995) through exposed ductwork, ghost signs, and rooftop bars with craft cocktails (Ocejo 2014). City governments and pri- vate developers are investing in urban design and placemaking, from small scale pop-up beer gardens or art spaces in vacant properties to billion-dollar redevelopment efforts to build neighborhoods from scratch. Such placemaking and urban design promises to create community, foster senses of safety, and improve real estate values. But for whom are these places

Journal

City and CommunitySAGE

Published: Dec 1, 2017

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