Urbanization as taxidermy: “Man”hattanization of Mannahatta
ISSN: 2631-6862
Article publication date: 21 October 2020
Issue publication date: 23 June 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This article unveils the similarities of today's space production systems with taxidermy. Giving examples from the transformation of natural environment during the history of Mannahatta (Manhattan), the article discusses the process of metamorphosis of habitats and ecosystems to anthropocentric artificial objects.
Design/methodology/approach
Referencing Lefebvre, urbanization is conceptualized as the production of abstract space that ultimately stifles life; by analogy, space taxidermy.
Findings
Using the analogy of taxidermy and abstract space production processes, the article introduces the necessity and the principles of restoring natural habitats.
Originality/value
Re-writing the urban and architectural history of Manhattan by focusing on four different scenes from its life-span, the article introduces a novel; a new narrative of the history of the city from the perspective of human-nature relations and the various ways habitats were shaped on this island during history.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to express his special thanks of gratitude to Karina Adil for her thoughtful editing of this paper. During this research, resources of the libraries of the City College of New York, the Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Museum of the City of New York, the New York State Museum and the American Museum of Natural History have been used.
Citation
Sadri, H. (2021), "Urbanization as taxidermy: “Man”hattanization of Mannahatta", Archnet-IJAR, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 434-446. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-01-2020-0006
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited