Introduction

Abstract

The first chapter introduces and defines the phenomenon of DIY urban design: unauthorized yet intentionally functional and civic-minded improvements to urban spaces, in forms inspired by official streetscape planning and design elements. It then sets up the social and discursive contexts for the study, including its main theoretical engagements—with the persistence of social inequality, the spectrum of formality and informality, the value of the concept of legitimacy in urban placemaking, and the contradictions of participatory citizenship. The chapter also discusses the research design and methodology for the book (also described in detail in Appendix 2) and lays out a brief plan and summary of the chapters to come.