Dossier editor: Christoph Lindner
Aesthetics of Vacancy in Lockdown London
https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2021/06/aesthetics-of-vacancy/
In his opening post, Christoph Lindner argues that gentrification has accelerated in London under the cover of the COVID-19 pandemic and its aesthetics of vacancy.
Aesthetic Activism and the Quest for Authenticity in a Time of Crisis
https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2021/06/aesthetic-activism/
The global pandemic has exposed fissures of race and class in Washington DC. Brandi T. Summers examines how the aesthetics of blackness have been co-opted in the gentrifying city during a period of crisis.
How Mobility-by-Proxy Aesthetically Gentrifies Amsterdam’s Empty Streets
https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2021/06/mobility-by-proxy-amsterdam/
How have bike delivery services changed the aesthetics and politics of the cityscape during lockdown? Dan Wesselman discusses mobility-by-proxy, visual branding, and “gentrification on wheels” in Amsterdam.
Gentrification and the White Spatial Imaginary: Notes from Little Tokyo in Lockdown
https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2021/06/gentrification-white-spatial-imaginary/
COVID-19 has created new challenges for community activism in Los Angeles. Jonathan Jae-an Crisman discusses gains and setbacks for Little Tokyo’s anti-gentrification arts activists during the pandemic.
A Pandemic in the Design City: Montreal During a Quiet Time
https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2021/06/pandemic-in-the-design-city/
The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted Montreal’s efforts to become a “design city.” Guillaume Sirois scrutinizes the city’s urban design policies and examines the impact of lockdown on its design boutiques and flagship public spaces.
Streets for People of Las Vegas
https://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2021/06/streets-for-people-of-las-vegas/
Susanna Phillips Newbury looks at zoning, urban development, and gentrification in Las Vegas before and during the pandemic, critiquing the city government’s claims to make “Streets for People”.