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Lecture 7: Walls (A world of walls:Teichopolitics (1.1 Urban Walling and…
Lecture 7: Walls
- A world of walls:Teichopolitics
Rosiere and Jones, 2012 states that "the contemporary world is characterised by the increasing enclosure of territories between sovereign states through the construction of walls and fences of international borders and within sovereign states through the development of various methods of sustaining inequality such as gated communities
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- Teichopolitics - politics of building barriers on borders for various security purposes (Rosiere and Jones, 2012)
Rosiere and Jones, 2012 state that the assumption is that globalisation has generated a 'borderless world' promoting free flow of capital, goods and people. but the reality is that more barriers exist, usually to benefit a privileged.
Fences sound more temporary because they are erected easier, are cheaper and do not block the vision from the other side
Walls seem more finalised as they eliminate line of sight, have danger of snipers and are more expensive.
Fences characterize many underdeveloped countries' barriers whilst walls are more likely to be erected in developed countries.. e.g. Israel's barrier along West Bank cost $2 mil whereas the electric fence on Botswana and Zimbabwe does not resemble an international border Rosiere and Jones, 2012
Davis, 1990 talks about enclaves as defensive architecture keeping the poor at bay, defensible urban centres and how cities are rushing for a formula that links "development, social homogeneity, and a perception of security"
- The rise of the enclave, the rise of the wall
Modernist planners have also been responsible for creating enclaves, or in their eyes "purpose built public spaces"
For example, Corbusier's 1930's Radiant City is considered as an attack on the city. It is a 'programmable unit' where particular spaces are for particular things, like a machine. This critique is similar in Niemayer's Brasilia where its airplane shaped city made particular enclaves of where people congregated, where they worked etc.
Such zoning strategies have rid the city's spontaneity and made it predictable. Destroys spaces where people gather and congregate
However examples such as Place Des Voges in Paris is more than just an attempt to zone the city. These enclaves have fences around them and thus become exclusionary.
Caldeira, 1996 supports this when looking at Sao Paulo zoning enclaves stating "the new developments in cities such as Sao Paulo create enclosures which contradict both the prototype of modern urban remodeling, that of Haussmann, and basic elements of the modern conception of public life
In what ways can enclaves tolerate politics? As they have many consequences for the likes of the open street, free circulation of crowds and vehicles, social mixing etc.
- Geopolitical Fractures: Urban Borders
Caldeira, 1996 states that "enclaves and segregation deny the experiences of urban life. And when looking at urban borders, fracture points are within our cities, not just nations.
E.g. The Berlin Wall, using barbed wire, checkpoints, surveillance and the military not only to keep a population out but also in.
Case Study: Steyn City, South Africa encouraging an integrated zone, but it is a private, autonomous city isolating new forms of urbanism to only make profit. It is an enclave without the walls in order to 'take back the suburbs' and create a space of exclusivity. But its already exclusive due to its cost and preferential treatment through the likes of energy security.
How much can they be contested? The West Bank Barrier for example has art as a form of resistance, expressing anger. Bansky style
Bodies can also act as walls through the likes of police strategies during riots. Such as cattling, surrounding students during the 2010 protests.
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