Creativity, Conviviality, and Civil Society in Neoliberalizing Public Space: Changing Politics and Discourses in Skateboarder Activism From New York City to Los Angeles

Abstract

Neoliberal urbanism often draws critiques because it privatizes public space and excludes specific social groups whose interests are not in line with the development goals of local states and corporations. This article, through an exploration of the politics and discourses of urban skateboarding, suggests that this clear distinction, between entrepreneurialism and community–based place making, may fail to explain transformative changes occurring in public space today. Comparing two grassroots activist campaigns at the Brooklyn Banks in New York City (NYC) and West LA Courthouse in the city of Los Angeles (LA), this article explains the ways in which skateboarders leverage specific neoliberal ideologies to claim their right to these two settings. In both cases, skateboarders save spaces through entrepreneurial urban means that bolster neoliberal values while retaining the tactical nature of their activities. Although both activist movements pursue the common values of authenticity, entrepreneurship, and private funding, they employ different discourses to reclaim public space. The NYC skaters frame a security discourse, which ultimately limits their continual access to the Brooklyn Banks. The LA skate community, on the contrary, constructs a spontaneity discourse, characterized by creativity, conviviality, and civil society, successfully transforming the West LA Courthouse into a legalized skate plaza. Our findings suggest that skateboarding communities and their spatial activism are resilient enough to articulate different rationales and successfully fight to transform public spaces into urban commons. However, we argue that ‘the discourses’ matter significantly in the processes and outcomes of activist mobilizations occurring within neoliberalizing public space.

Commoning toward urban resilience: The role of trust, social cohesion, and involvement in a simulated urban commons setting

“…Literature mentions such places of conviviality, a term used to describe processes of friendly and welcoming cohabitation and interaction which accommodate individuals' differences, which are likely to occur in the urban multiplicity (Chiu & Giamarino, 2019;Hinchliffe & Whatmore, 2006). Developing as experimental spaces, such places are both an object and practice of care where people look for each other as much as they look after each other.…”

Malmö – the skateboarding city: a multi-level approach for developing and marketing a city through user-driven partnerships

“…Malmö's approach to embrace skateboarding in public was greatly contrasted with other cities' defensive strategies (e.g. Chiu and Giamarino, 2019) and received international recognition. When it comes to embracing skateboarding more generally as an attractive feature in urban development, Malmö is, however, not the only example.…”

Young Peoples’ Construction of DIY Dirt Jumps in Melbourne, Australia, Throughout the Covid-19 Lockdowns

“…Young people’s occupation of public space is considered as a threat to the adult hegemonic control of public space, and the private property rights underpinning ownership of public spaces in capitalist societies (Vivoni and Folsom-Fraster 2021 ; Chiu and Giamarino 2019 ; Howell 2008 ; White 2001 ). Rather than having an equal right to use public space, young people are portrayed by adult spatial managers as requiring surveillance, policing and deterrence (Carroll et al 2019 ; Baker 2015 ; Wood 2015 ; Woolley et al 2011 ).…”

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