Spatial Justice: A call to spatial practice Developing a model for actuating dialogues on spatial justice through participatory walking practices

Main aim of the Study To develop a participatory model of spatial practice that engages community members in dialogues about, and raises awareness of, issues of spatial justice.

Secondary aims of the study To investigate whether participatory practices that combine walking and storytelling can reinforce a cultural commons that resists spatial oppressions and commodification To investigate whether the act of walking in public can cultivate individual or community resilience

Background of study Spatial justice Space vs Time The spatial turn The commodification of space The coevalness of space Spaces of memory and forgetting Walking, wayfinding and storytelling The “street-walker” theorist The map as a practice and story CREATEC Research Week Colloquium 19th September 2012

Theoretical Framework Spatial competence “Space is a practiced place. Thus the street geometrically defined by urban planning is transformed into a space by walkers” (de Certeau, 1984) de Certeau, 1984 The Design Studio for Social Intervention, Big Urban Games and Space Bingo Doing Nothing at King’s Cross, Lottie Child, Street Training, 2007

Theoretical Frameowrk A cultural commons without commodification “individuals and social groups create the social world of the city, and in doing so, create something common as a framework within which we all can dwell” (David Harvey, 2011) Jane’s Walk, Toronto, 2011 I Wish This Was, Candy Chang, New Orleans, 2010

Theoretical Framework Connecting cultural geographies “The processes of forgetting and remembering in the city, or investing in certain memories and de-investing in others, has been overlooked in urban analysis” (Daina Cheyenne Harvey, 2008) Sense of Belonging project, Leicester, UK, 2008, O’Neill & Hubbard

Conceptual Framework Participatory Action Research as a medium for change and democratic spatial practice Détournement as a space making practice Walking as a liminal state Walking as embodied and multisensory The shared walk as a conversational co-authored practice Outcomes as community feedback or tools

Research Methods Participatory ‘walkshops’ Interactive mapping Personal mapping Storytelling and Narrative Inquiry Détournement of spatial practices Communication of outcomes via a participatory walking performance or exhibition Survey Questionnaire!!! CREATEC Research Week Colloquium 19th September 2012

Research Design Diagram