Roadside death memorials revisited: Mourning in public spaces

Abstract

Recently, the family of the victim of police brutality in the USA, Mr George Floyd, visited the site when he passed away together with thousands of mourners bringing flowers and cards. Private roadside memorials are part of a growing trend in the use of (urban) space for purposes other than what is it officially intended. The use of (urban) space in unforeseen and therefore unplanned ways is increasingly becoming a reality of urban life. At the same time, this phenomenon is also observable is certain parts of cities, which highlights the particularities of context and prevailing culture. This revised paper represents a contribution, from a planning point of view to the anecdotal evidence on this phenomenon. It canvasses the interdisciplinary literature in order to shed more light on this practice. Part of the argument being presented is that city-form is not an eternal archetype. It is subject to the constant movement of people, which in turn transforms urban space in both planned but also increasingly unplanned and unanticipated ways. The concepts of “loose space” or “smooth space” combined with notions of “spatial representation” and “representation spaces” provide for a much more flexible explanatory framework. Together, they provide a unique vantage for generating a more nuanced understanding of private roadside memorials from a planning point of view. The paper advocates for phronetic approach and reflection in action instead of the current uniform approach.

Keywords

• loose space
• smooth space
• phronesis
• roadside memorials
• spatial representation
• representational spaces