Urban Assemblages, (In)formality, and Housing in the Global North

Abstract

Geographers and urbanists focused on assemblages in the Global South have significantly advanced urban theory, investigating politics, policy, everyday practices of (in)formality—infrastructure, water, sanitation, housing, education, health—how (non)human actors, networks, practices, ideas, and learning constitute urban life. This article outlines new directions for this agenda, presenting research into comparative geographies of Live-in-Guardians—“temporary” living, often in nonresidential buildings, based on licensed tenure—undertaken in London, Dublin, Amsterdam, and New York City that considers water sprinklers, light and air, employment, money, travel, ghosts, family, love, nuns, intimacy, slamming doors, echoes, friendship, aesthetics, leaks, draughts, comfort, sharing, heat and cold, housing markets, consumer culture, and so on. We engage with (non)human assemblages to offer new theoretical and empirical insights into relational politics, legislation, policy, (in)mobilities, (un)comfortable materialities, and more-than-representation, which we argue are key to understanding (in)formal housing in the Global North.

聚焦全球南方凑组的地理学者与城市研究者，已显着地推进城市理论，探究政治、政策以及（非）正式性的每日实践——基础建设、水、卫生、住房、教育、健康——（非）人类行动者、网络、实践、概念以及学习如何构成城市生活。本文勾勒此一议程的崭新方向，呈现研究为在伦敦、都柏林、阿姆斯特丹与纽约市中从事的“家居守护者”（Live-in-Guardians）的比较地理——“暂时性的”生活、经常在非住宅建筑中、并且根据特许的佔有，该生活考量洒水器、光线与空气、就业、金钱、旅行、鬼魅、家庭、爱、修女、亲密性、摔门、回音、友谊、美学、渗漏、乾旱、安抚、分享、燥热与寒冷、住宅市场、消费者文化等等。我们涉入（非）人类的凑组，提供关系政治、立法、政策、（非）能动性、（不）安稳的物质性、以及超越表征的崭新理论与经验洞见；我们主张，这些是理解全球北方（非）正式住房的关键。

Los geógrafos y urbanistas que centran su interés en ensamblajes en el Sur Global han desarrollado significativamente la teoría urbana, investigando normatividad, la política, prácticas cotidianas de (in)formalidad ––infraestructura, agua, salubridad, vivienda, educación, salud–– y el modo como los actores (no)humanos, las redes, prácticas, ideas y aprendizaje constituyen la vida urbana. Este artículo bosqueja nuevas direcciones para tal agenda, presentando la investigación dentro de las geografías comparativas de Vivir-en-Guardianes ––vivir “temporal”, a menudo en edificios no residenciales, basados en tenencia licenciada–– emprendidas en Londres, Dublín, Ámsterdam y en la ciudad de Nueva York que considera los rociadores de agua, la luz y el aire, el empleo, dinero, viaje, fantasmas, familia, amor, monjas, intimidad, puertas y portazos, ecos, amistad, estética, goteras, fichas, comodidad, compartir, calor y frío, mercados de vivienda, cultura del consumo, y demás. Nos involucramos con ensamblajes (no)humanos para ofrecer nuevas perspectivas teóricas y empíricas en las relaciones públicas, la legislación, la política, las (in)movilidades, las materialidades (in)cómodas, y cosas más-que-una-representación, que sostenemos son claves para entender la vivienda (in)formal en el Norte Global.

Key Words:

• legislation
• materialities
• more-than-representation
• (im)mobilities
• policy
• politics

关键词:

• 立法
• 物质性
• 不只是表征
• （非）能动性
• 政治。

Palabras clave:

• legislación
• materialidades
• más-que-una-representación
• políticas de (in)movilidades
• política

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Desiree Fields, who undertook some interviews in New York City; Gary Bridge, Noel Castree, Michele Lancione, and Bethan Evans for advice and comments; and Nik Heynen and anonymous reviewers for their help in strengthening the article. Mark would like to thank the support of the Chinese National Social Science Foundation funding (Western project), entitled “Mobilities theory and practice in contemporary western criticism” for allowing time to write up the final draft of this article-当代西方批评中的“移动性”理论与实践研究（西部项目）18XZW004.

Notes

1 UK professional bodies, charities, and housing experts have called for strategy, policy, and action—including a “cabinet” minister/fifteen-year plan for housing. General elections party manifestos in 2015 and 2017 included “Help to Buy” (equity loan schemes); new build, first-time buyers’ discounts; “rent-to-buy”; new “right-to-buy” social housing; “garden cities”; empty properties used; and so on.

2 The UK National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification: 1 = managerial/professional; 2 = intermediate- small employers; 4 = lower supervisory/technical; 5 = semiroutine/routine; 6 = never worked/long-term unemployed; 7 = unclassified.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Strategic Research Investment Fund, Faculty of Humanities, University of Manchester, UK.

Notes on contributors

Mark Jayne

MARK JAYNE is Professor in the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales CF10 3WA, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include consumption, the urban order, and city cultures.

Sarah Marie Hall

SARAH MARIE HALL is Senior Lecturer in the School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include everyday family life and economic change; ethics, care, and consumption; and feminist praxis.