The seminar opened our field of scholarly inquiry to explore broad topics of urban theory and praxis in the context of Los Angeles, a city that is paradigmatic as a site of social upheaval, political resistance and progressivism, demographic change, and cultural experimentation and expression. In dialogue with the city’s storied past is its ever-changing present; it is in our moment of social, political, and environmental crisis when we must turn to the challenges Los Angeles faces and propose new possibilities for our collective future.
To frame our analysis in Los Angeles, we employed the theoretical lens of borders and commons within seven speculative “ecologies” of the city. Public discourse about border walls and about sanctuary cities points to the deep interrelationship between borders and commons. A threshold, for example, can be a barrier, a point of welcome, or both. Beyond the threshold is a shared space where many potentials exist simultaneously, including sanctuary, friction, violence, community, and anonymity.
