Mapping the Unjust City / Vem äger staden?

Mapping the Unjust City / Vem äger staden is a collective work that deals with mapping, counter-narratives and visualization of ownership in relation to the built environment. By exploring hidden layers of the city, such as financial flows and the relationship between public and private, they spark conversations about whom the city is for and what it could become. The process explores the aesthetic strategies for sharing knowledge about ownership, thus encouraging the democratization of the city’s public spaces.

The group has previously done a mapping of the local centers along Stockholm’s subway lines, which has been exhibited at institutions, art galleries and -occupied spaces. As a complement, the group has also worked with peripheral stories, investigated zoning plans, ownership his-tory timelines and tested the center property owners’ knowledge of the right to demonstration. Key issues for the research are: How can mapping function as a tool for analysis? How can it provide an understanding of the consequences of changes in ownership and the impact of financialization on the built environment? How can an image become a mobilizing tool and inspire collective action?

In the guestroom at Marabouparken, Mapping the Unjust City / Vem äger staden will work to transform past mappings into a user-friendly digital tool to visualize hidden dimensions of the city. In collaboration with hackers and other interested participants, the digital tool will take shape and be filled with new data. In 2019, talks and workshops will also be held on the potentials of mapping and what counter–narratives can serve as a starting point for understanding the changes Stockholm is undergoing today. Here, the focus is especially on stories about the local centers in Sundbyberg which the city has recently sold off to private companies.