The Art of Jaywalking: A Contemporary Approach to Interaction, Creation and Ownership in Public Space

Abstract

The recent loss of interaction in public space has been a topic of debate amongst scholars, architects, urban planners and municipal authorities. This project was undertaken with the initial task of increasing interaction in and within public space. It was imperative to understand the current status of North American public spaces as well as the psychological importance of individual and collective needs for it. A group of radical, avant-garde artists known as the Situationist International theorized various approaches to encouraging awareness of the spaces we dwell in and deemed the term psychogeography: a method of re-contextualizing and learning about the urban realm through the construction of situations. Public experience and expression were at the forefront of their work and led to the final and most pertinent concern regarding public space – boredom. This Master’s thesis therefore turned into a study of expression and ownership of public spaces and is concluded with one design solution titled The C.I.T.E.E. Project.