Urban Surfaces Research Network Vol. 5

<p dir="ltr">This publication is intended to inform research, practice, and public discussions on the role of surfaces in urban environments.</p><p dir="ltr">The publication is the result of the fifth international workshop of the Urban Surfaces Research Network (USRN), established in 2023 by Sabina Andron, Konstantinos Avramidis, and Tom Ward. The workshop took place online on 13 October 2025.</p><p dir="ltr">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.</p><p dir="ltr">USRN Vol 5 contributors: Chris Boyko, Ruth Dalton & Kevin Muldoon-Smith (Lancaster University & Northumbria University), Adrian Burnham (Independent Researcher, UK), Susan Hansen (Middlesex University), Dan Johnston (Western Sydney University), Miti Kinaawola (Tembea Kampala Tours), Friederike Landau-Donnelly (Humboldt University Berlin), Diana-Raisa Lolici (Babes-Bolyai University), Richard Müller (University College London), Jazoo Yang (Independent Artist, South Korea), Dina Yunis (Kings College London), and Yufeng Zhao (MIT Media Lab).</p><p dir="ltr">Each contributor addresses the following prompts:</p><p dir="ltr">1. DEFINE: How do you define urban surfaces in your field or practice?</p><p dir="ltr">2. INTERVENE: If you could change one thing about how urban surfaces are designed, valued, maintained, or governed—what would it be?</p><p dir="ltr">3. CHALLENGE: What is a common misconception about urban surfaces that frustrates or limits your work?</p><p dir="ltr">We hope you enjoy your journey through these incredibly wide-ranging responses and share our enthusiasm for the traction of surface knowledges in our ongoing series.</p>