The city walker as a minor architect Tactics against major architecture

Abstract

“Minor architecture” is a concept coined by Jennifer Bloomer and developed by Jill Stoner that refers to “minor actions that form spatial arrangements,” fleetingly and anonymously, within what has already been built, that is, within what would be “major architecture,” with its own name and pretensions of permanence and stability, that is, of order and obedience. Walking through the city implies a body crossing a public space and being crossed, in turn, by the hegemonic discourse that codifies said space. Walking through the city inserting the body in a certain way into the urban fabric can be an exercise in minor architecture in contrast to the strategies deployed by major architecture. The walker becomes a minor architect when he subverts architectural design, breaks down barriers, leaves hidden messages, plays with names and labels, presents a minority profile to the public scene, challenges established schedules, or actively contributes to a climate of indifferent solidarity among strangers.