Urban Surfaces Research Network Vol 3

This publication is intended to inform research, practice, and public discussions on the role of surfaces in urban environments.

The publication is the result of the third international workshop of the Urban Surfaces Research Network (USRN), established in 2023 by Sabina Andron, Konstantinos Avramidis, and Tom Ward.

The USRN brings together researchers, practitioners, and policy makers, to examine the roles and uses of urban surfaces, and their contribution to the formation of urban cultures, politics, and atmospheres. It is a multidisciplinary group held together by a shared empirical interest and a passion to untangle the affordances of surfaces for citizenship, belonging, media, economy, law, and justice - the list continues.

USRN Vol 3 contributors: Cecilia Brazioli (University of Milan), Lucy Finchett Maddock (Bangor University), Mia Gaia Trentin (Cyprus Institute), Alex Hale (Historic Environment Scotland), Ingrid Halland (University of Bergen), Adam Hudec (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna), Tim Ingold (University of Aberdeen), Simon Marvin (University of Sydney), Liz Oakley Brown (Lancaster University), Chris Parkinson (University of Melbourne), Rafael Schacter (University College London), and Sprya Sharma (Independent researcher, India).

Each contributor addresses the following prompts:

1. Share a definition of urban surfaces pertinent to their discipline and field of research or practice.

2. Propose three concepts for advancing urban surfaces knowledge.

3. Introduce an example or case study of their surface-related work.

We hope you enjoy your journey through these incredibly wide-ranging responses and share our enthusiasm for the traction of surface knowledges in the series.