Locating crisis.

Area of Science:

• Urban Studies
• Sociology
• Political Geography

Background:

• Contemporary urbanisation presents complex political, material, and discursive challenges.
• The concept of 'crisis' is often understood broadly, but requires nuanced application to urban contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reflect on the use of the concept of crisis in urban studies over 15 years.
• To propose a spatial and pluralized understanding of urban crisis.
• To analyze the relationship between urban crisis, the state, and social reproduction.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis and reflection on 15 years of work.
• Theoretical framing of crisis between the 'eventful' and 'everyday'.
• Empirical examples to illustrate conjunctural crisis location.

Main Results:

• A spatial and pluralized understanding is crucial for analyzing contemporary urbanisation.
• Urban crisis can be conceptualized distinctly from, yet constitutive of, a larger concept of crisis.
• The conjunctural location of crisis shapes its connection to state functions and urban social reproduction.

Conclusions:

• Rethinking crisis through a spatial and pluralized lens offers critical insights into urban dynamics.
• Understanding urban crisis requires attention to its specific manifestations and its relationship with state power and social reproduction.
• This framework aids in making sense of the multifaceted stakes of contemporary urbanisation.