Home touring as hospitable urbanism

Abstract

This paper twins theories of urbanism and feminist hospitality in exploring the practice of historic home touring as demonstrative of hospitable urbanism, an ethical opening of self and neighborhood to strangers. In Phoenix, Arizona, the quintessential “ahistorical” sprawling metropolis, historic home touring is particularly evocative. With 35 residential historic districts covering much of the central city, Phoenix boasts an entire home tour season each spring. I consider the opening of private homes to the public a gesture of urban welcome critical in tempering the exclusionary tendencies of historic districts. Such seemingly minor practices are increasingly perceived as consequential in generating (or foreclosing) lived community amid difference (gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, migration status, religion, etc.). Without striving toward openness, vulnerability, and inclusion, urban communities risk becoming shuttered, sterile, and disconnected from public life. However brief or atmospheric, a gesture of urban welcome requires the consideration of strangers in the first place.

Keywords:

• Home tour
• preservation
• historic
• hospitality
• stranger
• residential

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Mark Klett, Bryon Darby, Katie Lehman, and Phoenix Transect, the long-term visual research project at Arizona State University (ASU). Their visual research contributions were tremendously influential in this work (http://www.phoenixtransect.org/). Gratitude is also extended to two sources of research funding: a Dissertation Writing Fellowship from the Graduate College at ASU and an Emeritus Fellowship from the Preparing Future Faculty program at ASU.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. To protect their privacy, pseudonyms are used for Coronado interviewees.