Cracks in the city: Addressing the constraints and potentials of urban design

Abstract

The term ‘crack’ is used in this paper as a metaphor for the fractured discontinuities encountered in the physical and social context of American cities. Cracks are the ‘in‐between’ spaces—residual, underutilized and often deteriorating—that frequently divide physical and social worlds. The paper sets out to explain why cracks are a common characteristic of the American urban landscape, by investigating the factors that have contributed to their formation. The study also lays out some normative objectives for transforming in‐between spaces, and for practising a socially responsible urban design, by discussing issues such as user empowerment, collaborative design, contextualism and flexibility of form. The role, responsibility and constraints of the urban designer in effecting change are discussed, and a call is extended for broadening the cultural, moral and political content of the profession.