Spontaneous Urbanisms examines the state of the city and some of the motivating factors for the wave of citizen-led actions to improve the public urban realm. From urban blight to uneven development, property abandonment to stalled developments, social alienation to an overly privatized public sphere, urban interventionists are asserting their “right to the city.” This panel will frame the movement—the urge of architects, designers, and everyday citizens to step in and fill in the gap where traditional top-down planning has failed or left areas of neglect—in a larger historical, cultural and political context.

Panelists include:  Teddy Cruz, Estudio Teddy Cruz; Gordon Douglas, Department of Sociology, University of Chicago; Roberta Feldman, College of Architecture and the Arts, University of Illinois, Chicago; Michael Sorkin, Institute for Urban Design and Terreform