What a week! Ideas jumping, bustling, exploding, transforming – taking me to new places. Banksy is on this side of the Pond, and a new movie – Exit Through the Gift Shop – about his art, work and movement is in the theaters. But why does this excite an urban planning student?
Let the new blood flow
Urban planning is dominated by plans at local, municipal, regional, provincial and even national and international levels, which for the most part have to be in conformity. 
Urban planning is also dominated by Growth (a quantitative distinction to the more qualitative Development), from the local to the international level as well. In addition, culture plays a significant role. Thus, the way society operates and normalizes elements of religion, economy, politics, environment, education, language, logic, sexuality, ideology, values, priorities, tastes and preferences influences what is wanted and what we get. (To expose my fascination of the dark side of this topic, I admit to take great interest in movies like: Fahrenheit 451, Nineteen eighty-four 1984, Animal Farm, and also Equilibrium.) But the matter of fact is that the gap between poor and rich widens, the fences and walls between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ expands and strengthens, the control over resources and mass-production sits in fewer hands, and the economic, political and environmental consequences bring us closer to the ‘tragedy of the commons’. (Sorry for the doom and gloom)
Banksy
Nevertheless, it is the ability to critically reflect on what society is doing to us and what we are doing to the society that makes Banksy so interesting to me.
A critique of the madness of the system, if you will. But also a celebration of the beauty of the individual. And this is an important message, that “system builders” (among them, urban planners) must keep in mind. The room for rebellion with a cause is of great value, in stark contrast to the individual, self-destructive, trivial rebellion whole generations seems to adapt while they smoke their brains out, drink their sadness away and destroy all energy and originality required in the production of thoughtful art.
Urbanism and Resilience
To embrace all the passion present concerning urban planning and resilience is likely future planners’ greatest challenge. Be it suburban sprawl or slums, they are now part of our urban fabric and the objective should be to avoid their negative and destructive qualities. That does however not directly mean eradication in exchange for something new.
Basic needs may be served in the suburb, but at what cost and for how long? The slum may not easily provide basic needs or corporate and government land-speculative profits, but they are the most absorbent space for new urban dwellers without land or money. The question is, how can basic needs be better served? (Thanks Brugmann, your insight is brilliant.)
For this we need to better understand, appreciate and utilize theory of urbanism and urban resilience. Curious? I am. I can see myself easily devote my professional energy to this topic for years to come. So thanks Banksy; you share and generate passion, and, as is well documented, passion is one of humanity’s most energizing and stimulating emotions.
Hello, I’m a Architecture and Urbanism student from Chile. I’m doing research for my thesis in Urban Resilience and found your post really good and passionate. And I was wondering if you could recommend me some biography to read, it’s kind of hard to find this subject addressed in spanish at all; I’ve got some very interesting books and papers, but i thought that a student view on the matter would be good. So, if you have the time, I would appreciate it a lot.
Thanks,
Daniela A.