Abstract:

Radical cities have historically been hotbeds of transformative paradigms, political changes, activism, and social movements, and have given rise to visionary ideas, utopian projects, revolutionary ideologies, and debates. These cities have served as incubators for innovative ideas, idealistic projects, revolutionary philosophies, and lively debates. The streets, squares, and public spaces of radical cities have been the backdrop for protests, uprisings, and social movements that have had both local and global significance. Through demonstrations, social activities, and uprisings, revolutionary ideas create debates among citizens who interact in all types of spaces: streets, blocks, squares, hospitals, and schools. All these spaces have something extraordinary in common: the interaction of the people who inhabit them and the regular tourists according to the characteristics of the cities. Radical cities are cradles and hosts, made of complex processes that unfold in political worlds that can become crises. Over time, they will host local spaces and movements, which would be moments of change and simultaneously contribute to change that can gradually become global. This research project aims to explore and reimagine radical cities and urban activism using a variety of visual and collaborative pedagogical approaches. This project will study and categorize these cities through comparative case studies from different regions, including North America, and Latin America, and beyond, in order to better understand and interpret pivotal societal transitions. Through collaborative pedagogical practices, this study enables us to discover crucial transformations and paradigm shifts in radical cities and the responses to these changes by their diverse inhabitants and authorities utilizing various visualization and representation methods.

Through the various transnational case studies, radical cities' common and different characteristics will be recognized with a focus on spatial features and socio-political aspects.

Credits:

This research is the outcome of the course 'Radical Cities over Time and through Space: Re-narrating Urban Activism' at the Huckabee College of Architecture, Texas Tech University in Fall 2022.