20 3 DIY urbanism Donovan Finn and Gordon Douglas ● As DIY urbanism loses some of its counter-cultural edge, we need to know if the resulting projects come at the expense of more marginalized groups. ● To what degree is DIY urbanism implicated in concerns about gentrification and displacement, as opposed to providing political or artistic commentary about these same issues? ● Planners need to find ways to encourage interventions that work and discourage ones that don’t work – without discouraging local knowledge, ideas, and passion. ● What does a more flexible or nimble local policymaking environment look like, one that is welcoming to informal efforts? * * * Introduction While much of the focus of New Urbanism has traditionally been on planning new complete communities and neighborhoods, the 2008 financial crisis shifted the attention of many New Urbanists to the transformative possibilities of an incre- mental, bottom-up approach to effectuating urban change. is chapter explores the research needs associated with one aspect of this terrain: do-it-yourself or DIY urbanism, a particular form of informal urban placemaking that has become increasingly visible over the past two decades. Even in the most professionally planned and formally regulated cities, public space is inherently anarchic. Residents use this communal resource in countless ways, at their own whims and often for their own ends. Streets and sidewalks serve as de facto sites of commerce for food vendors, musicians, and hawkers of various sorts. In public parks, cul-de-sacs and street-corners, children and adults alike play games, socialize, hold protest marches and post leaflets. And, in cities all around the world, people also decide, with no explicit permission, to make what they see as necessary, often permanent, improvements to their surroundings. DIY urbanism is an approach wherein non-professional or unauthorized commu- nity members create or modify urban spaces in ways typically considered to be the purview of municipal employees. While the literature on DIY urbanism and M4750-TALEN_9781788118620_t (bleed).indd 20 24/05/2019 10:20