Negotiating Capitalist Rhythms in Everyday Urban Life: A Study of Utrecht’s Griftpark

Capitalism is not necessarily associated with outdoor life and leisure time. This article examines how capitalist rhythms are embedded and negotiated in the everyday life of an urban park and how movements within the park space reveal a tension between linear and cyclical rhythms. Taking the Griftpark in the Dutch city of Utrecht as a case study, we draw on Henri Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis and Tim Ingold’s concepts of wayfinding and navigation to analyse two modes of inhabiting space: One is open, responsive and socially embedded, whereas the other is goal-driven, efficient and transient. Observing park-goers, we find that linear capitalist rhythms – marked by urgency and instrumentality – frequently assert themselves even in leisure environments, whereas cyclical rhythms persist in acts of lingering and social engagement. We discuss these patterns as a dialectical tension and consider their implications for urban planning and policy. We argue that protecting rhythm diversity in cities requires the conscious design of spaces that foster cyclical time alongside capitalist efficiency.