UPM-611 Democracy, Equity, and Public Space

2 Credits

This course reviews the ways in which political expression and negotiation among constituencies occur in the public realm. The course examines the concept of the "right to the city" as a political ideal for the public realm and current trends such as privatization, surveillance, and securitization as expressions of social and economic conflict. The course reviews "agents of change" - artists, activists, the government, city planners, and architects - and their strategies for pursuing a public realm that advances an equitable and democratic society. These debates are central to analyzing the political dimensions of placemaking.