Intersection: Sidewalks and Public Space

by Marci Nelligan (editor)

Intersection is a collection of essays concerning sidewalks and public spaces in contemporary society. Each contributor presents a unique response to concepts first laid out by Jane Jacobs in her seminal book The Death and Life of Great American Cities (excerpts of which are reprinted at the beginning of the book). Contributors include historian Claire Potter, performance artist William Pope.L, sociologist Mitchell Duneier, surveillance expert Melissa Ngo. Also included is a photo essay by Paul Madonna on stencil art on the sidewalks of San Francisco s Mission District. This is the first in a new book series called ChainLinks, a spinoff project of the journal Chain, edited by Jena Osman and Juliana Spahr. The goal of this new series is to produce books that might change people s minds, might agitate for (thought) reform, might shift perspectives. This project also continues Chain s desire to provide space for work that slips through genre cracks and falls outside of disciplinary boundaries. In the spirit of Chain magazine, these books will combine works that normally would not be published side by side, organizing them around a formal thematic.

142 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2008

Reviews

[Marci]

As you might notice, I co-edited this book, so this is a *slightly* biased review. That said, these contributors are amazing and if you have an interest in Jane Jacobs or the idea of how public spaces create our public and social selves, you might like it. Contributors include Paul Madonna, Melissa Ngo, Claire Potter, William Pope.L, Mitchell Duneier, and Jane Jacobs. Co-edited by supergenius Nicole Mauro.