Sign in

AFFINITY

@affectinthecity.bsky.social
172 followers 414 following 68 posts

Affect In the City (AFFINITY): The Emotional Dimensions of Urban Justice. Posting updates and resources on philosophy, cities & affect. MSCA/YUFE4Postdocs EU-funded project (25-28) 📍Antwerp Views my own: @lopezcantero.bsky.social #philsky

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by AFFINITY
Sally Watson @salawatson.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
“We have given up so much public space to cars, and if you live in a city with kids you live in constant fear that they will be hit by a passing vehicle”, Banchini said. “It restricts our movement so much that we almost can’t see it anymore.” www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
theguardian.com
Reclaiming the streets: the architects clawing back Europe’s car-centric spaces
The European Prize for Urban Public Space’s shortlist highlights projects helping people cope with climate crisis
1246
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Upcoming events on urban utopias and urban political contestation within the interdisciplinary group ‘Where is Urban Politics?’ at Groningen, led by Marian Counihan and Christian Lamker ⬇️
sites.google.com
WUP Seminar Series - Events
Upcoming events | Save the Dates
000
Reposted by AFFINITY
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 18/08/2026
On Sunday, parents across the five boroughs got a night to themselves while NY's Cutest enjoyed free activities with NYC Parks staff at select recreation centers. Free & accessible child care doesn’t just make our city more affordable — it gives parents time to rest, recharge, or enjoy a night out.
176106122071
Reposted by AFFINITY
Owen Garling @ojgarling.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Always surprised by the council-provided BBQs in Australia. Well-used, clean and generally not vandalised. Also, the flame is contained under a plancha. An important part of Australian social and cultural infrastructure.
A council provided barbecue in the Sydney seaside suburb of Coogee.
082
Reposted by AFFINITY
Pr Carlos Moreno - IAE Paris1 Sorbonne University @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Applications are now open! If your organisation is developing innovative ways to make active play more accessible, inclusive and equitable for children and young people, I encourage you to apply.
112
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
This is how recognition of the value of local commerce for place-making looks like. Boosting hospitality & leisure is an excellent first step; now the govt should help councils subsidise rents for local artisans, dry cleaners, grocers—so we stop the homogenisation & globalisation of our high streets
000
Reposted by AFFINITY
Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Today with 40+ other organisations and individuals, I’ve supported a vital call, for more space for children to play on their doorsteps, as Andy Burnham - central to Labour's 2008 national play strategy - is himself on the doorstep of No. 10. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Andy Burnham and Ed Balls playing on swings at the launch of the 2008 National Play Strategy. Full text here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hapPkX028b7YY7dczC5hdOXyFfbZayGn/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=110161622811866488176&rtpof=true&sd=trueFull text here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hapPkX028b7YY7dczC5hdOXyFfbZayGn/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=110161622811866488176&rtpof=true&sd=trueFull text here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hapPkX028b7YY7dczC5hdOXyFfbZayGn/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=110161622811866488176&rtpof=true&sd=true
24015
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Today's reading: Daniel Guillery (LSE) on the moral significance of roads in the European Journal of Political Theory
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
000
Reposted by AFFINITY
Urban Truth Collective @urbantruth.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
This is worth reading, for excellent communication & story-telling. “I’m driving less. I don’t want to see the world through a driver’s eyes any more. Before I began driving less, I had long had a melancholic sense that the city lifestyle I lived was cut off...” #UrbanTruth From @irishtimes.com
irishtimes.com
I’m driving less. I don’t want to see the world through a driver’s eyes any more
Before I began driving less, I had long had a melancholic sense that the city lifestyle I lived was cut off from the seasons and nature
5333114
Reposted by AFFINITY
Pilar Lopez-Cantero @lopezcantero.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Registration is open for 'Thinking the City' at Cambridge and 'Justice in Local Space' at LSE, where I will be presenting on care-washing in the built environment and the affective dimensions of urban spatial encroachment (aka the 'putting lipstick on a pig'* and 'to hell with SUVs' papers)
144
Reposted by AFFINITY
Owen Garling @ojgarling.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
"Social connection is not the goal people seek out directly — it is the byproduct of accessible, funded, convenient everyday environments and connected neighborhood networks." www.gehlpeople.com/projects/soc...
gehlpeople.com
"Social Infrastructure Is Essential Infrastructure": How public spaces make the affordable, joyful city possible
A two-year federally funded research collaboration between IPK and Gehl, focused on advancing new research into social infrastructure New York communities.
011
Reposted by AFFINITY
Pilar Lopez-Cantero @lopezcantero.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Just yesterday I had a writing meeting for our paper on SUVs with my co-author Dan Guillery, and we were wondering how we would reply to the objection that people do not really care about this. *This* is how people get to care about something they don't know it's hurting them: more media attention!
theguardian.com
‘At a crossroads’: will piling-up crises force Europe to put brakes on SUV culture?
Bigger cars including electric can cause multiple harms, yet resistance to rise of US-style vehicles has had mixed support
122
Reposted by AFFINITY
Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
For our book City of Equals Avner de Shalit and I had research assistants conduct interviews in 10 cities in 6 countries. One regular finding was that people wanted to be able to communicate with local officials who would understand their problems, and not ignore them as unimportant people.
1162
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Vuestra misión de vecinas en Tetuán es todo un ejemplo, siempre lo menciono!
110
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
The organisers (including my childhood neighbour @olgaberrios.bsky.social!) have been running tours since 2023 and have designed this amazing map with links to bios, news and special eps of their own podcast. This is definitely a best-practice example of bottom-up urban justice!
padlet.com
Paseo feminista por Tetuán
Ponte las gafas violetas para mirar nuestro barrio
011
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
A neighbour-led feminist walk, focused on highlighting women in street names, plaques and buildings: “There’s many stories, but little visibility”
233
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Saving for later! “In extending rebellion against the practical intentions of the built environment to that of pervasive technologies, there emerges the potential to thwart one’s artificial predictors and regain agency over both individuated and shared experience.”
000
Reposted by AFFINITY
Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory @memoryplace.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
What is the relationship between memory and place? Centre Director @suttonprofessor.bsky.social reflects on our work: how memory is shaped by place, why interdisciplinary collaboration matters, and how research grounded in local environments can speak to wider global questions. youtu.be/N3ce_7IP-aI
youtu.be
John Sutton — Principal Investigator and Director | CSPM
YouTube video by Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory
096
Reposted by AFFINITY
uonphilosophy.bsky.social @uonphilosophy.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
A creative walkshop exploring ideas of home and public space! Tue 28/4/26 - 5.30 - 7.30 The Carousel Hockley Led by our philosophers Alice Monypenny and Olley Fairey with artist Amelia Daiz. Deets: tinyurl.com/45uahaps Sponsored by Royal Institute of Philosophy. #philosophy #home #nottingham
tinyurl.com
Blueprint of the city as our home | Meanderers
Guided walk, philosophical discussion and creative Cyanotype workshop exploring the idea of the Third Space and the city as a home
021
Reposted by AFFINITY
Sadiq Khan @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
NEW: Today I’m announcing plans to deliver at least one new late-night youth club in every London borough - the biggest investment in youth clubs ever made by a Mayor. We’re bringing youth clubs back. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Mayor allocates £30m for a youth club in every London borough
The mayor says the late-night clubs would offer activities, mental health support, mentorship and food.
12448101
Reposted by AFFINITY
Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
German car debates never fail to remind me of Charles Taylor's "What's Wrong with Negative Liberty?"
ft.com
Campaign to curb cars in Berlin sparks uproar ahead of election
Conservatives and far right are opposing a citizens’ initiative to restrict traffic in the German capital
1101
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
CFP for grad students & early career researchers on phil of place! It will be at the University of Cambridge at the end of May, with a dedicated day to early career talks & discussion w invited speakers, and a second day w invited talks (I will be presenting on care-washing & urban policy)
philevents.org
Thinking the City: Perspectives on the Philosophy of Place
This conference aims to establish a sustained and systematic philosophical engagement with the city as an object of inquiry within analytic philosophy. While cities profoundly structure our social, mo...
133
Reposted by AFFINITY
Pilar Lopez-Cantero @lopezcantero.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Just accepted: my Phil Compass article on affective injustice! It synthesizes the debate into an overarching definition ('the unjust interference w people’s affective lives, w regard to their own affective practices or through those of others') & brings out many connections between existing views/1
philpapers.org
Pilar Lopez-Cantero, Affective injustice - PhilPapers
Oppression, marginalization, and other forms of disadvantage often come with emotional burdens, such as feelings of insecurity or stress. At the same time, some features of oppression are emotional in...
45014
Reposted by AFFINITY
Shen-yi Liao 廖顯禕 @liao.shen-yi.org · 18/03/2026
Through a conversation, I'm now convinced that the elevator is one of the most important public transit infrastructures. All good urbanist NUMTOT transit nerds should care deeply about it. www.nytimes.com/2024/07/08/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The American Elevator Explains Why Housing Costs Have Skyrocketed (Published 2024)
172
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
For more info on Pride in Parades: Part I. The State of Neighbourhood Social Infrastructure. www.neighbourhoodscommission.org.uk/report/pride... Part II. Strategies for Renewing Neighbourhood Social Infrastructure www.neighbourhoodscommission.org.uk/report/pride...
000
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
It was fascinating to hear about two community-led regeneration stories in Poplar and Wolverton. One my my favourite applications of community consultation was that they asked locals to bring fabrics and patterns of cultural importance for them, and printed these on the shop fronts/4
Row of shops with colourful patterns printed at the fronts, sourced from community members providing with culturally significant patterns. This is a project of regeneration of local parades in Aberfeldy Street, in Poplar. Picture sourced from Meanwhile Space, the social enterprise involved in the project: https://meanwhilespace.com/aberfeldy-street/
100
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The kind of infrastructure also matters. In deprived neighbourhoods, parades have mostly formal social infrastructure (community centres), but lack vital informal social infrastructure (pubs, cafes). Often communities actively lead the reinvigoration of parades way before the govt intervenes/3
100
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
One of my main takeaways, as stated by one of the report authors, is that parades should be assessed not simply as retail, or its closures as a merely economic problem: they have an invaluable role as social infrastructure. I will never stop insisting: you simply can't create place without retail/2
100
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
The Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods @iconeighbours.bsky.social has recently published two reports on the state and value of local parades (rows of local shops) as social infrastructure. Today they ran a super interesting webinar on the main findings and two successful case studies/1
100
Reposted by AFFINITY
Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos de Sevilla @coasevilla.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
◾️ Reyes Gallegos: "Necesitamos más ojos femeninos y feministas en el diseño y la planificación de las ciudades" Lee la entrevista completa, vía @diariodesevilla.bsky.social ⬇
diariodesevilla.es
Reyes Gallegos: "Necesitamos más ojos femeninos y feministas en el diseño y la planificación de las ciudades"
La arquitecta y directora sevillana firma
001
Reposted by AFFINITY
Alison Stenning @alisonstenning.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
A couple of questions: 1) Can anyone recommend any (critical, early) reviews of Pride in Place that I might not have found? 2) Is anyone familiar with examples of Pride in Place boards talking about or engaging with space for play? I have found a few but guess there are more. Thank you!
387
Reposted by AFFINITY
Jose Pina-Sánchez 🇪🇺 @jpinasanchez.eurosky.social · 02/03/2026
'In Defence of Walkability as a Crime Prevention Strategy'. New preprint with @ianloader.bsky.social We challenge the consensus that walkable neighbourhoods are more criminogenic. We highlight two flaws in the literature: i) overreliance on police statistics; and ii) neglect of motoring offences.
22716
Reposted by AFFINITY
Centre for the Sciences of Place and Memory @memoryplace.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Place is not passive—Memory is not settled We work across cognitive science, social science & the arts to examine how people find their way. In contested pasts & rapidly changing environments, understanding place and memory underpins how we locate ourselves—intellectually, socially and historically
0236
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Fantastic news! It is also really good that this will be for pedestrians exclusively, with separate plans for new bike lanes. These do need to be protected and safe, but (although not all urbanists agree) it is super important to have pedestrian only zones, particularly for children and the elderly
020
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Read here for a summary of the project published in the EPIC project blog ⬇️
epistemicinjusticeinhealthcareproject.blogspot.com
The mental aspects of urban justice
032
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
So much potential influence of int. law on the affective lives of urban dwellers. Some of them are related to human rights (which is Prof Schmid’s focus) but others can be more narrow moral rights, or special obligations of urban authorities, like fostering caring relations. New lit to explore!/2
000
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
Just attended Prof Evelyne Schmid’s talk, hosted by Antwerp’s Urban Studies Institute. Very interesting talk on how local actors engage with international law, the mismatches between urban life and treatises conceived to improve it, and the role of “legal intermediarians”/1
100
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Great workshop today at Antwerp on Moral Psychology & The City! Elisabetta Gobbo talked about affect & gentrification; Jamie Draper presented his expressive theory of spatial inequality; Marian Counihan gave a super useful taxonomy of urban diversity & I shared my wip on affective rights to the city
032
Reposted by AFFINITY
Shen-yi Liao 廖顯禕 @liao.shen-yi.org · 17/02/2026
This is probably already obvious to all the urban planning nerds, but I don't feel like it has broken through to normies like myself. Among many reasons why street parking is bad is that—especially with giant cars nowadays—it's bad for pedestrian visibility at intersections!
141
Reposted by AFFINITY
Pilar Lopez-Cantero @lopezcantero.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Very happy about this— I’ve learned a lot from Bennett School’s (and its predecessor institute’s) research on place and identity over the years, and it’s directly influenced how I conceived my project on emotion and urban justice. Excited to be part of it and to expand the phil of urban policy!
062
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Back to reading about litter and waste in anticipation for this talk:
000
Reposted by AFFINITY
International Society for Urban Health (ISUH) @is4urbanhealth.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
Does living near a #park reduce your risk of chronic disease? Join Georgia Tech's School of #Architecture for Episode 50 of Redesigning #Cities hosted by Ellen Dunham-Jones & feat. Dr. Larry Frank — renowned #urban scholar behind the term #walkability Feb 13 | 3:30 PM ET Register: bit.ly/4kvs6ko
Photo by Kaique Rocha for Pexels.
031
Reposted by AFFINITY
Jeff Sebo @jeffsebo.bsky.social · 11/02/2026
The NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program is thrilled to be hosting an event on how cities can manage human-wildlife conflict! Join us for a preview of our upcoming report and discussion with Colin Jerolmack and Adalene Minelli. Feb 23, 4pm ET, followed by a reception. sites.google.com/nyu.edu/wild...
sites.google.com
Events
SPRING 2026
022
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
Brilliant and exhaustive thread on the 15-minute city and the latest astonishing disinformation about the concept, this time applied to a proposed restriction of road use *to cars* in Oxford.
010
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
An “overhaul of England’s planning policy” that does not tackle simply what people can *do* in the built environment, but also how people *feel*, is doomed and dead on arrival—particularly if those who are the most affectively powerless, like women, are ignored/& 4
000
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
In turn, policy makers can be traced as the main responsible party for what philosophers like David Spurrett and others call “hostile scaffolding”, in this case the design of spaces that are directly and clearly damaging for women cognitive and affective processing/3
100
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Women and girls cannot shaped and be shaped by life in cities if they do not feel safe, and they cannot feel safe if policy makers don’t remedy the increase danger women face in cities in virtue of being women. Krueger calls this “affective powerlessness”/2
100
AFFINITY @affectinthecity.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
This is a depressing but very accurate example of what philosopher Joel Krueger calls “ecological affective injustice”—ways in which the environment can disrupt emotional well-being and spatial agency, built on & building upon oppressive and unequal social relationships/1
121
Reposted by AFFINITY
Zak Bond @zakbond.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
⚠️Registrations of the most commonly-sold pick-up trucks have nearly doubled in just over a decade! 📈Our new analysis has found a major increase in the number of large, US-style pick-up trucks on UK roads over the past decade - with serious implications for pedestrian safety, particularly children.
theguardian.com
Number of US-style ‘battering ram’ pickup trucks on UK roads has nearly doubled in a decade
Exclusive: Campaigners say ‘menacing vehicles’ are putting children at risk owing to their large front blind zones
3148
Reposted by AFFINITY
Urban Studies Foundation @urbanstudiesfoundation.org · 27/01/2026
📢 Upcoming Seminar: Urbicide in Palestine Join the #USFSeminarSeries event on Jan 29, 17:00 (GMT+2)! 📢 It explores colonial planning and spatial violence with Abaher El-Sakka, Abdullah Al Bayyari & Maha Samman. Co-organised with Mada al-Carmel. 📍 Online 🌐 Arabic/English 🔗 ow.ly/Wpm450Y44vb
Flyer with USF logo for the seminar "Urbicide in Palestine. – A Sociological, Historical and Architectural Approach" on a Photo by Yousef Zaanoun/Activestills. And the text "The seminar will focus on the concept of urbicide in the Palestinian context, combining approaches from sociology, history, and architecture that put colonial planning at the centre of the analysis. 
Presentations:
Urban and Architectural Genocide in Gaza: A Socio-Historical Reading Abaher El-Sakka, Birzeit University
Disrupted Urbanity in Colonial Settlement: Planning as Urbicide Abdullah Al Bayyari, Institute for Palestine Studies, and the American University in Cairo.
Systematic Dispossession: Towards Urbicide in Jerusalem Maha Samman, Al-Quds University
Moderated by Himmat Zoubi, Mada al-Carmel
29th Jan 2026 17:00 - 19:00 (GMT+2) 
Online"Flyer with USF logo for the seminar "Urbicide in Palestine. – A Sociological, Historical and Architectural Approach" on a Photo by Yousef Zaanoun/Activestills. And the text "The seminar will focus on the concept of urbicide in the Palestinian context, combining approaches from sociology, history, and architecture that put colonial planning at the centre of the analysis. 
Presentations:
Urban and Architectural Genocide in Gaza: A Socio-Historical Reading Abaher El-Sakka, Birzeit University
Disrupted Urbanity in Colonial Settlement: Planning as Urbicide Abdullah Al Bayyari, Institute for Palestine Studies, and the American University in Cairo.
Systematic Dispossession: Towards Urbicide in Jerusalem Maha Samman, Al-Quds University
Moderated by Himmat Zoubi, Mada al-Carmel
29th Jan 2026 17:00 - 19:00 (GMT+2) 
Online"
021