“There is not time in the city There is no place on the high street”: Agency of Urban Space and David Greig’s San Diego as Soft City

Abstract

Agency of space is a phenomenon not to be ignored. Affecting every entity, it encloses and interacts with, gives space a peculiar agency. Without doubt, urban space is a particular space where the interaction between human and space is the densest. Billions of people live in urban space and like a container it is shaping the lives of its inhabitants. This act of shaping is not only physical but also identity-related. Through the analysis of how the characters are shaped by eponymous city in David Greig’s San Diego, this article aims to demonstrate the special relationship between urban space and human beings. Prior to reaching any conclusions about this relationship, the similarity between a playwright and an architect will be analysed to highlight that the setting of the play is not a random construction and to demonstrate how the playwright utilises space to shape his characters.