Exemption, Linear, Theater

The street is inherently a place of exemption when it becomes used for activities outside of those initially intended.  In one sense, the street addresses many functional requirements of the city - transportation, utilities, and commerce - and in another, it becomes the theater for people.  In America, the street is typically seen as being owned by one entity, such as the government, which places all the functions - sidewalks, lights, bicyclists, etc - in strict hierarchical relationships, often driven by the state’s own codes for fire and military access.  This physical relationship, however, is questioned in any protest or march, in which the “space of appearance” becomes visible as the street becomes overtaken by the will of the people.  The street, such as the woonerf, as we have seen in other countries, such as the Netherlands, is thought of intentionally as as space of negotiation, rather than an exemption.