In the intricate tapestry of urban landscapes, a phenomenon defies conventional urban planning paradigms yet profoundly shapes the identity and vibrancy of neighbourhoods: informal placemaking. This editorial herald a pivotal exploration into the nexus of placemaking and culture, underscoring the dynamic interplay between community-driven initiatives and the cultivation of rich cultural landscapes.
Informal placemaking embodies the grassroots efforts of individuals and communities to transform overlooked spaces into vibrant hubs of social interaction, cultural expression, and community cohesion. From guerrilla gardening and pop-up markets to street art and spontaneous gatherings, these initiatives reflect the innate human desire to imbue our surroundings with meaning to foster a sense of belonging and ownership.
Public art projects play a pivotal role in informal placemaking as they serve as catalysts for community engagement, cultural expression, and the activation of public spaces. These projects have the power to transform overlooked or under-utilised areas into dynamic centres of creativity and social interaction, fostering a sense of place and belonging among residents. Public art projects beautify urban environments and promote inclusivity, diversity, and civic pride by providing a platform for artistic expression and dialogue. They invite people to reimagine and reclaim their surroundings, turning mundane spaces into vibrant canvases that reflect the community’s unique identity and spirit. Ultimately, public art projects contribute to the enrichment of urban landscapes, fostering connections between people and places while enhancing the overall quality of life in cities.
Informal placemaking practices play a pivotal role in contributing to knowledge production and transfer in the urban environment. Despite this, the recent surge of social activism in public urban spaces, coupled with contemporary trends in art and cultural practices, still needs to be explored in this domain. Through cultural and artistic endeavours in urban spaces, the sensory and cognitive experiences of the environment generate novel ways of identifying with urban settings, fostering a collective understanding of diverse identities, and enhancing urban livability.
We define “informal placemaking” as encompassing the practices and strategies undertaken by citizen participation and by artists, activists, and designers. Inclusive practices based on citizen participation in placemaking, alongside arts and design interventions, have the potential to occupy these new developments. Cultural and social activism significantly impacts the sustainable implementation of social justice and mutual cultural understanding in urban environments. However, despite the wealth of literature on the transformative potential of art and creative industries in cities, scant attention has been paid to the role of artistic and cultural practices in spatial planning and community development.
With the Special Issue in the Journal of Urbanism and through the COST Action “Dynamics of Placemaking and Digitization in Europe’s cities” activities, we aim to foster a dialogue on the practices of ‘informal placemaking Europe’s” activities, we aim to foster a dialogue on the practices of ‘informal placemaking practices embody an ethos of sustainability in urban concepts and promote sociable and collective sharing practices. We underscore the significance of the term and its associated practices through which social, cultural, or ethnic groups shape their environments and landscapes in both direct and subtle ways.
Examples of such practices include but are not limited to:
Urban narrative production and informal placemaking: Practices that produce place-based narratives challenging norms and inspiring new cultural narratives.
Practices (social change) through art and design: Contributions to spatial planning, community development, interaction, and exchange, enhancing collective practices for social change through art and design.
Informal placemaking and collectivity: Collective actions around food, sports, festivals, community projects, material culture, objects, and spaces of memory.
Informal placemaking and placetaking: Activism and social movements reveal new claims on urban space, such as heritage and memorial activism.
Informal placemaking and collective intelligence: Integrating information provided by individuals and communities, addressing conflicting personal and social information.
Informal placemaking and digital technologies: Exploring benefits and challenges of digital technologies for sustainable citizen participation in spatial planning and knowledge production on urban spaces.
In this issue, a wide range of scholars have identified informal placemaking as a relevant field of research. Gilda Hoxha explores how political activism and informal placemaking intervene in Tirana; Carlos Garrido Castellano investigates the cultural activism to challenge canonical views on carnival by positioning the festivity’s sonic dimension as an active force of placemaking; Patrick Düblin analyses overlaps and relationships between informality, transgression, and direct action by juxtaposing two recent examples of activist placemaking in Rome: the creation of the Kurdish cultural centre Ararat and the construction of Savorengo Ker, a short-lived instance of dignified housing for a Roma community. Tanja Schult and Tim Cole spotlight the reaffirmation of the German Memory Culture through the creative placetaking of an artist collective. Federico Camerin highlights the potential and the contribution of informal placemaking practices to transform the abandoned military sites to civilian spaces, such as barracks. In her paper, Asma Mehan analyses the chances and risks of informal revolutionary feminist placemaking in Iran. Jordi Nofre and Otávio Raposo highlight the role of informal placemaking in tourism, while Nicola Davis Bivens, DeMond Miller and John Mills explore the scope of societal change through street art. The Special Issue is accompanied by Viewpoints by Alexandra Delgado Jiménez, Christina Palmese, and Jose Luis Carles and two reviews by Pekka Tuominen and Oevermann.
In recent years, scholars and practitioners alike have increasingly recognised the pivotal role of informal placemaking in shaping the cultural fabric of cities. This acknowledgement is reflected in a burgeoning body of literature that delves into the multifaceted dimensions of placemaking, spanning disciplines such as urban studies, sociology, anthropology, and cultural geography.
The latest research underscores the transformative potential of informal placemaking in fostering inclusive and equitable urban environments. Studies have elucidated its capacity to bridge social divides, amplify marginalised voices, and challenge hegemonic narratives of space and power. Moreover, scholars have elucidated the intricate dynamics between placemaking practices and cultural identity formation, highlighting how grassroots initiatives serve as catalysts for reclaiming and reimagining communal spaces.
As we embark on this scholarly journey, engaging with diverse perspectives and methodologies is imperative, embracing the complexity and nuance inherent in the study of informal placemaking. By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration, we can glean more profound insights into the socio-cultural dynamics that underpin placemaking processes, thus informing more holistic approaches to urban development and design.
This Special Issue on Informal Placemaking serves as a testament to the vitality and resilience of informal placemaking practices worldwide. Through a curated selection of articles, book reviews and opinions, we aim to illuminate the diverse manifestations of grassroots placemaking, from the bustling streets of global metropolises to the tranquil corners of rural communities. By amplifying the voices of scholars, practitioners, and community members, we seek to catalyse critical reflections and inspire transformative action to pursue more inclusive, livable, and culturally vibrant cities.
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Notes on contributors
Ayse Erek
Ayse Erek is Associate Professor, PhD of Art History at Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Department of Industrial Design. Research interests include interdisciplinary studies on urban imaginaries and urban space in art, design and exhibiting practices, contemporary art, politics of aesthetics in the urban context, cultural heritage, heritage and memory activism, history of modernity and Istanbul studies. She has contributed to numerous publications as editor and author. post-doctoral research fellow at Georg-Simmel Center for Metropolitan Studies of Humboldt University in Berlin and a visiting lecturer at the European Ethnology Faculty at HU. She currently serves as the director of Design Graduate Program, focusing on methods and formats of transdisciplinary research on issues concerning art, design and the city.
Katalin Krasznahorkai
Katalin Krasznahorkai (Ph.D.) is a Berlin-based art historian, curator, and author, currently working as a Lead Curator at the Brandenburgische Gesellschaft für Kultur und Geschichte and as a Lead Expert Advisor for the Council of Europe`s project on artistic freedom “Free to Create – Create to be Free”. Krasznahorkai was a curator at the Ludwig Museum Budapest from 1996 to 2003 and studied at the Eötvös Lorand University Budapest, the Humboldt University Berlin, Vienna University, and from 2010-2015, she worked as a Project Director at the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin while completing her Ph.D. at the University of Hamburg. From 2015 to 2020, she was a Researcher in the ERC project “Performance Art in Eastern Europe. History and Theory” at the University of Zurich with the project “Artists&Agents. Performance Art and the Secret Services.” From 2020 to 2022, she was a Gerda-Henkel Research Fellow working on a project on Angela Davis and Black Power in Eastern Europe. Krasznahorkai was awarded the DAAD Research Grant, the Herder Award of the Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S., and the Gerda Henkel Research Grant. Her monograph “Operative Art History or Who is Afraid of Artists?” will be published by Spector Books in 2024.