Renewal and Recuperation in the Future City

Recent beautification, “creative placemaking,” and redevelopment initiatives have spurred parallel surges in the aestheticization of space as well as the hostilization of space to those deemed socially and politically undesirable. Such urban renewal will presumably only spread as cities increasingly embrace museums and cultural centers as topoi of soft power (e.g. Saadiyat Island). But soft power is primarily a matter of narration, and the narration of “cities of the future” is replete with recuperative rhetoric. Whether participatory projects to develop future cities will fall prey to the recuperative milieu in which museums have been deeply submerged in since the nineties’ industry push towards “edu-tainment” is yet to be seen. But the future looks bleak as cities and creative institutions alike are forced to justify their existence in terms deemed most valuable to the powers that be. As we plan for future cities, we must not ignore the implications of a city defined by its progress but still shackled by its commitment to what Henri Lefebvre calls “abstract space” – space organized around and dominated by the workings of commodification. How we can imagine the future city as a commons brimming with culture without displacing and disenfranchising vulnerable populations? How do aesthetics in the urban environment magnify socioeconomic disparities, and how can we amend that, knowing this? This presentation will draw on the writings of Hito Steyerl and Henri Lefebvre to critically and carefully examine the given role of art and culture in the neoliberal city – present and future.