The accidental playground [electronic resource] : Brooklyn waterfront narratives of the undesigned and unplanned / Daniel Campo.
Campo, Daniel.
2013
HT281 .C36 2013eb
Available Online

Linked e-resources

Linked Resource Online Access

Details

Title The accidental playground [electronic resource] : Brooklyn waterfront narratives of the undesigned and unplanned / Daniel Campo.
Author Campo, Daniel.
Edition 1st ed.
ISBN 9780823251865 paperback
Imprint New York : Empire State Editions, 2013.
Language English
Description 291 p. : ill. (some col.)
Call Number HT281 .C36 2013eb
Dewey Decimal Classification 307.09747/23
Summary "The Accidental Playground explores the remarkable landscape created by individuals and small groups who occupied and rebuilt an abandoned Brooklyn waterfront in Williamsburg. Without formal authority, capital, professional assistance, grand vision, consensus, or coordination with each other, these "vernacular" builders transformed a vacated waterfront railroad yard into a unique setting for recreation and creative endeavor. With the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop, the collapsing piers, eroded bulkhead, and remaining building foundations of the former Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal (BEDT) became the raw materials for various forms of waterside leisure and social spaces. Lacking predetermined rules governing its use, this waterfront evolved into the home turf for unusual and sometimes spectacular recreational, social, and creative subcultures. These included skateboarders who built a short-lived, but nationally renowned skatepark; a twenty-five-piece "public" marching band, fire performance troupes, and a variety of artists, photographers, and filmmakers. At the same time the site also served basic recreational needs of local residents. Collapsing piers became great places to catch fish, sunbathe, or take in the Manhattan skyline; the foundation of a demolished warehouse became an ideal place to practice music or skateboard; rubble-strewn earth became a compelling setting for film and fashion shoots; broken bulkhead became a beach; and thick patches of weeds dotted by ailanthus trees became a jungle. Drawing on a rich mix of documentary strategies including observation, ethnography, photography, and first-person narrative, Daniel Campo probes this accidental playground, allowing those who created it to share and examine their own narratives, perspectives, and conflicts. The multiple constituencies of this Williamsburg waterfront were surprisingly diverse, their stories colorful and provocative. When taken together, Campo argues, they suggest a radical reimagining of urban public space, the waterfront, and the practices by which they are created and maintained. The Accidental Playground, which treats readers to an utterly compelling story, is an exciting and distinctive contribution to the growing literature on the unplanned and the undesigned spaces and activities in cities today"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note Access limited to authorized users.
Linked Resources Online Access
Record Appears in Online Resources > Ebooks
All Resources
Machine generated contents note:
Chapter 1 - Discovering and Engaging a Waterfront
Chapter 2- The Rise and Fall of Shantytown Skatepark
Chapter 3- March and Burn: Practice, Performance and Leisure without a Plan
Chapter 4- Outside Art: Exploring Wildness and Reclamation at the Water's Edge
Chapter 5- Local Tales: Hanging Out and Observing Life on the Waterfront
Chapter 6- Residential Life: Hardship and Resiliency on the Waterfront
Chapter 7- Neighbors Against Garbage: Activism and Uneasy Alliances on the Waterfront
Chapter 8- Unplanned Postscript: Dogs, Sunsets, Rock Bands and the Governance of a Waterfront Park
Chapter 9- Planning for the Unplanned.

Browse Subjects

Show more subjects...

Statistics

from
to
Export