Blind spots and pop-up spots: A feminist exploration into the discourses of do-it-yourself (DIY) urbanism

Megan Heim LaFrombois

Urban Studies, 2017, vol. 54, issue 2, 421-436

Abstract: This paper is a theoretical exploration of dominant conceptualisations of do-it-yourself urbanism, which draws from and contributes to feminist inquiries into urban planning and policies. Do-it-yourself urbanism is defined as unauthorised, grassroots, and citizen-led urban planning interventions that are small scale, functional, temporary, creative, and place specific; are focused on reclaiming and re-purposing urban spaces; and take place outside formal urban planning structures and systems. This paper questions and complicates the dominant discourses surrounding do-it-yourself urbanism by highlighting the racialised, classed, gendered, and sexualised ‘blind spots’ and biases found within conceptualisations of the topic, its activities, actors, and spaces. It also investigates how do-it-yourself urbanism activities and actors are connected to and embedded in larger urban systems and policies. I argue that the dominant discourses of do-it-yourself urbanism focus on a narrow set of urban planning interventions, which may have major implications for cities and their residents. However, the terrain of do-it-yourself urbanism is diverse, fluid, paradoxical, and at times subversive, revealing bright spots for more inclusive and reflexive practice.

Keywords: do-it-yourself (DIY) urbanism; feminist urban scholarship; intersectional feminism; race; class and gender; urban planning policy and practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0042098015604078 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:54:y:2017:i:2:p:421-436

DOI: 10.1177/0042098015604078

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Urban Studies from Urban Studies Journal Limited
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().