Thematizing Public Informal(s)

The 2024–25 Chorographies special issue is conceived as an editorial endeavor, aimed to introduce us into the informal within public space. Intersecting between theory and design commentary, it seeks to un-establish a singular definition of informality and highlight multiple epistemological, social and ideological implications. Informal public space is not discussed as a clearly defined phenomenon, but as an interpretation tool for revealing multiple contradictions, transitions and tensions, traversing contemporary urban space. In contrast to institutionalized public space, informality is understood through practices of everyday appropriation, forms of collectivity, regimes of ownership, use or access that become transitional, contested or ambiguous. The architectural concept of informality encompasses deep fields of interaction within public spheres of the present, the future and the past. This issue initiates upon the informal as occupied or used by individuals who do not formally own or control it. This questions space relativity, ranging from investigations between owners-users relationships, to public space definitions. This editorial briefly guides us through the contributions to this special issue. It is structured in two parts. Part A includes five (4+1) essays presenting different perspectives. The last one stands as an afterword, offering an overview and critical reflection on the emergence of the informal in the 21st century. Part B presents 4 selected student diploma projects approaching the informal as a challenging design experimentation.