disorder, defiance & disobedience : negotiating the city through the confrontations of graffiti—tools for reimagining our rights within the built environment

Abstract: Architects imagine and reimagine utopia. It is a role with the task to produce cities that are liveable, beautiful, functional, flexible and inclusive. Spaces made for and together with people, and places that meet their needs and dreams. Architects and urban planners don’t plan for the city to be disused, vandalised or constantly decorated and redecorated by an anonymous group, however, it is. Graffiti writing creates a sense of belonging and freedom, a liberating idea that architects, urban planners, and politicians are not alone in forming our spaces and places.  Cities grow, change, are being used, disused, defined and redefined through graffiti. Disobedient and defying activities are constantly happening to our buildings, without the architect’s knowledge or power. The disorder and chaos of graffiti is a contrast to the planned world architects imagine. Architecture depends and affect the social, economic, and political climate of the city—and graffiti are dependent on the external structures as well. An anarchist perspective enables liberating and theoretical tools for reimagining the future. Cities are in a constant process of transformation, in the way authority direct the city—also in how the user protest, disrupt, invade, and navigate space. The future of the city, or a utopia, should be seen as a process and not a final product.  Architecture and urban planning are part of forming the socioeconomic landscape. In order to have an equal city, architecture must acknowledge the social reproduction of space. Furthermore, we can learn how to be situated, in our understanding, viewing, and designing of space. Defying and disorderly elements in the city impacts the built environment and the socioeconomic landscape. Graffiti bring something from working class roots into the city and mediate confrontations between different socio-spatial groups. It allows a discussion on how places can, and should, feel liberating, fun, and flexible—rather than static, forbidden, or inaccessible. Through discussions on graffiti, it’s role and imprint, together on anarchist spatial design and notions on anarchist utopia—this thesis is about confrontations in order to negotiate the city.  Graffiti writing is a disobedient activity that is constantly confronting the rules, the norms, and roles within the city. Through illegal graffiti, I discuss space- and place-making without authority; graffiti as a tool to negotiate the right to the city. The built and planned environment has an important role in shaping socioeconomic landscapes, it can divide people, segregate them, and hand socioeconomic positions—and of course the opposite, bring people together, create affinity and community. Graffiti writing creates confrontation without authority, without being directed and designed by decisionmakers.