Urban Surfaces, Graffiti, and the Right to the City

This landmark book explores the authorship and management of urban surfaces, focusing on their role in struggles for the right to the city. It argues for surfaces as sites of resistance against private property, neoliberal creativity, and the imposition of urban order and proposes a seven-point manual for a semiotics of urban surfaces. It appeals to a wide readership and serves as a tool for disrupting existing imaginaries of order, justice, and visibility in cities.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 204 pages
Publication date: 22 November 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking work delves into the intricate world of urban surfaces, exploring their authorship, management, and profound impact on the ongoing battles for the right to the city. From the vibrant graffiti that adorns walls to the pristine canvases of pristine walls, advertising posters that saturate cityscapes, and municipal signage that shapes public spaces, these surfaces are a dynamic stage for the expression and contestation of values.

For the first time, the captivating landscapes of our cities are granted the full attention of a book as material, visual, and legal territories. This comprehensive exploration uncovers the rich tapestry of graffiti and street art, as contentious surface discourses that challenge the dominance of private property, neoliberal creativity, and the imposition of urban order.

The book goes beyond mere description, offering a critical history of these forms of artistic expression as sites of resistance against the forces that shape urban spaces. It argues that surfaces can be reclaimed as spaces of empowerment, where individuals and communities can assert their presence and voice.

Furthermore, the book presents a groundbreaking seven-point manual for a semiotics of urban surfaces, laying the foundation for a new discipline: surface studies. By delving into the visual, material, and legal aspects of these surfaces, the manual offers a comprehensive framework for understanding the complex interplay between urban spaces, culture, and power.

As the book unfolds, surfaces emerge as porous and political, becoming key spatial conditions for reimagining and re-practicing urban dwelling and spatial justice. They transform into what the author refers to as the "surface commons," a shared and inclusive space that belongs to all.

This multidisciplinary work will captivate a wide readership, spanning urban studies, architectural theory and design, graffiti, street art, public art, criminology, semiotics, visual culture, and urban and legal geography. It serves as a valuable resource for city scholars, policy makers, artists, and activists seeking to disrupt existing narratives of order, justice, and visibility in cities.

Through its insightful analysis and innovative approach, the book offers a fresh perspective on the urban landscape, challenging us to think beyond traditional boundaries and embrace the dynamic and contested nature of urban surfaces as vital spaces for creativity, resistance, and the pursuit of a more inclusive and just city.

Weight: 378g
Dimension: 154 x 236 x 14 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032597515