The Emancipatory Potential of Creativity: Art and Creative Expression in Public Space

Abstract

This study examines differentiated street art impacts through a phenomenological and historical institutional approach. The primary case study location of Kakaʻako, Hawaiʻi is considered within a range of public space creative expression possibilities presented by three additional study locations along the US-Mexico border. Phenomenological and historical investigation reveal institutional relationships that enable and constrain creative expression in public space. The findings suggest the potential for investigating urban visual landscapes to illuminate forces of power and exclusion in other aspects of the urban experience, such as development and gentrification. Incorporating creatives and creativity in planning practice can foster asset-based framing and co-design processes firmly rooted in local context. The reestablishment of indigenous autonomy, authority, and self-determination in urban public space and the visual landscape may begin to address historical forces of oppression, displacement, and exclusion. The potential for creativity and creative expression for informing planning practice and participatory processes is explored with the goal of vibrant, thriving, and inclusive public spaces that embody the broadest range of human differences and capabilities.