Contested City: Art and Public History as Mediation at New York's Seward Park Urban Renewal Area

The Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA) was a wasteland of vacant lots on New York's Lower East Side for forty years. In 1967, most of the buildings were condemned, displacing thousands of low-income people of color. Artist and urban scholar Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani was invited to enter the community to support a new approach to planning, which used collaboration, community organizing, public history, and public art to provide new opportunities for dialogue about the past, present, and future of the neighborhood. Contested City is a book for artists, planners, scholars, teachers, cultural institutions, and all those who seek to collaborate in new ways with communities.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 234 pages
Publication date: 30 December 2018
Publisher: University of Iowa Press

For forty years, the Lower East Side of New York experienced a transformative journey, transitioning from disinvestment to gentrification. However, this transformation came at a cost, as a vast wasteland of vacant lots, known as the Seward Park Urban Renewal Area (SPURA), remained a constant reminder of the neighborhood's past struggles. Most of the buildings in this fourteen-square-block area were condemned in 1967, displacing thousands of low-income people of color, with the promise of new housing that never materialized.

The efforts to prevent affordable housing in SPURA sparked deep-rooted enmity and halted development, making it a poignant case study of failed urban renewal. Moreover, SPURA served as a microcosm of the challenges facing American cities since World War II.

To address this complex issue, artist and urban scholar Gabrielle Bendiner-Viani was invited to enter this tense community and support a new approach to planning. Recognizing the power of collaboration, community organizing, public history, and public art, Bendiner-Viani accepted the invitation and embarked on a multi-year collaboration with community activists. Through her Layered SPURA project, she engaged her students at The New School in a collaborative effort with local activists, offering exhibitions and guided tours that provided crucial opportunities for dialogue about the past, present, and future of the neighborhood.

Simultaneously, Contested City: Art, Design, Community Activism, and Urban History, showcases the incredible stories of community and activism at SPURA, while also shedding light on the importance of collaborative creative public projects. This book serves as a valuable resource for artists, planners, scholars, teachers, cultural institutions, and anyone seeking to forge new partnerships with communities. By bridging art, design, community activism, and urban history, Contested City offers a fresh perspective on urban revitalization and the potential for positive change in underserved neighborhoods.

Weight: 383g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781609386108