Rebranding Precarity: Pop-up Culture as the Seductive New Normal

Pop-up culture is a flexible and exciting new form of place making, but it has the stakes of rebranding insecurity and encouraging us to embrace precarity as the new normal. It reveals how urban crisis has particular temporal and spatial characteristics, defined by uncertainty, instability, fractures, and gaps, and how those markers of crisis have been optimistically reimagined over the last few years.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 29 October 2020
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Pop-up urbanism is a vibrant and dynamic phenomenon that has emerged as a flexible and innovative approach to placemaking. It encompasses a wide range of temporary or nomadic sites, including cinemas, container malls, supper clubs, and even pop-up housing, which have become ubiquitous in cities worldwide. This culture is celebrated for its ability to transform spaces and create unique experiences, often in unconventional locations.

However, the stakes of the "pop-up city" are a subject of intense scrutiny in Rebranding Precarity. This book delves into a wealth of fascinating case studies to explore how pop-up works to rebrand insecurity and encourages us to embrace precarity as the new normal. By examining the specific temporal and spatial characteristics of urban crises, defined by uncertainty, instability, fractures, and gaps, the book reveals how these markers of crisis have been optimistically reimagined over the past few years.

Through an examination of seven logics that rebrand insecurity, including within housing, labor economies, and gentrifying areas, Rebranding Precarity paints a frightening picture of how crisis conditions have become not just accepted but desired in today's metropolis. It raises important questions about the role of government, private sector, and community organizations in responding to and mitigating the impacts of urban crises.

Overall, Rebranding Precarity is a thought-provoking and timely book that offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of urbanism and the challenges facing cities in the 21st century. It challenges us to think critically about the ways in which we design and inhabit our cities and encourages us to embrace precarity as a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and social change.

Weight: 394g
Dimension: 135 x 215 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781786999825