Roadside death memorials: transformation of public spaces into private spaces for mourning

ABSTRACT

Private roadside memorials are part of a growing trend in the use of (urban) space for purposes other than what is it officially intended. The use of (urban) space in unforeseen and therefore unplanned ways is increasingly becoming a reality of urban life. This paper represents a contribution, from a planning point of view, to the anecdotal yet ubiquitous evidence on this phenomenon. It canvasses the interdisciplinary literature devoted to this phenomenon in order to shed more light on this practice. Part of the argument being presented is that city-form is not an eternal archetype. It is subject to the constant movement of people, which in turn transforms urban space in both planned but also increasingly unplanned and unanticipated ways. The concepts of ’loose space’ or ’smooth space’ combined with notions of ’spatial representation’ and ’representation spaces’ provide for a much more flexible explanatory framework. Together, they provide a unique vantage for generating a more nuanced understanding of private roadside memorials from a planning point of view. The paper advocates for phronetic approach and reflection in action instead of the current uniform approach.

KEYWORDS:

• Loose space
• smooth space
• phronesis
• roadside memorials
• spatial representation
• representational spaces

Acknowledgments

I am eternally thankful to Professor Frescura, Dr Abigail Osei-Kumi for their initial suggestions and inputs, and finally to Dr Ojo-Aromokude for her invaluable discussions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

K. Mchunu

K. Mchunu is a Senior Lecturer at University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN) in the Department of Town and Regional Planning. Prior to this, he taught at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the University of Johannesburg.  He holds a BA, MA and Ph.D. degrees from University of Natal, Cornell, and Oxford-Brookes Universities respectively. His research interests focus is on Spatial Justice.