Dérive: An Interdisciplinary Journal
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15th September 2024
Thomassons as Spatial Parasites
AMONG THE MYRIAD OF INQUIRIES, that have troubled the theorisation of urban everyday life, the socio-cultural value of what can be called the urban relic constitutes one of the most neglected subject areas. Whether it is defined as “waste” (Hawkins, 2003, p. ix) or “ruin” (Edensor, 2005, p. 4), a significant number of academics scrutinized the anatomy of urban decay and ruination while positioning them in a broader historical context. Nevertheless, the subject matter of these scrutinies is predominantly focused on derelict buildings and ruins. From “closed shopping malls and abandoned military sites” (Olsen et al., 2014, p. 3) to pre-industrial urban centers such as Ephesus and Machu Picchu, the theorisation of urban decay tends to give greater attention to derelict spaces that already hold historical value. However, as Edensor (2005) claims, urban decay and its adverse impacts on the urban fabric “do not take one shape but are manifold in form” (p.
4). Blocked-up windows, defunct street lamps
and unidirectional staircases that only go up
and down—each could be equally considered
as manifestations of urban decay due to the
comparable degree of neglect in their material
conditions and their corresponding non-
functionality for the urban population (see
Figure 1 and 2).