IN-BETWEEN ZONES
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Techniques of collective and individual interventions in public space
Sophie Dodelin

‘Techniques of collective and individual interventions in public space’ was one of the topics of the ‘In-between Zones’ workshop, held in Budapest in June 2007. Participants who decided to join this topic were invited for several walks in the city. The walks took place in different kinds of public spaces (from tourist streets to abandoned parks) in order to measure the level of freedom left for us in the city and study how our behaviour is restrained and controlled. One of the aims was to re-examine how city inhabitants can appropriate and form their own everyday surroundings.

To get inspiration for this work, we read some situationist texts, two of which you will fi nd in this chapter. Apart from these texts, the chapter includes several smaller text- and image- based contributions that were created during the workshop.

Questions of a city inhabitant
As a user of the urban public space, I have always been sensitive to the way it was created for me, rather than by me.

When I walk in the street, I usually behave in a certain way depending on which street I walk through. For example, I don’t walk in the same rhythm in the tourist district as in the suburb , in the shopping streets or in the noisy boulevards... If I think a bit more, I realize that I even wear a certain kind of outfi t depending on the walk I will take... Where does this come from? Are there some directions for use written somewhere? ... Of course there are , and when I don’t know about them I look like a tourist or a foreigner.

I will say things like: ‘this is my town... this is my district... my street... my block.’ They are mine because I use them almost every day of my life, but in the fi nal analysis, ...did I do anything to make them what they are, and what can I do, if anything, to change this reality...? For example: do I know who designed this path that organized my daily walks? ... No . Can I move this bench to the sun, a few meters further? … No. Why don’t those trees, in front of my door, yield edible fruits? Why is my street equipped with video cameras? ... Could I give my opinion about the places I use? I am the fi rst one concerned! Why, when I give my ideas, do I get a response that it’s not possible to follow them? ... Will I be able to do something the day the municipality decides to cut all the trees I like in ‘my’ street? Or when a company drives away most of my neighbours to build a very high and sad building in front of my window? … Which kind of freedom do I really have? What can I decide by myself ? ....

Starting from those questions, I realized that contemporary city planning is done in favour of the economy, and it propels us into living the fragmented life of a worker /consumer. Each place is built for specifi c activities and we are restricted from any unconventional use. There are not enough real spaces for spontaneous and community activities.

Often , I take a walk in the city to discover places that can inspire me and that are usable as I wish, even if they were planned for another function or weren’t planned at all. If I look carefully , with open mind and open heart, I can still fi nd a few places that allow me to be an active citizen instead of being a passive consumer. Those places are rare, but they exist , and sometimes they are used by the people who still believe that freedom has to be observed as the most precious thing in life.