Thinking Forward through the Past: Prospecting for Urban Order in (Victorian) Public Parks

• In Event: Physical Environment

Abstract

In the face of the ‘chronocentrism’ of much work within criminology, this paper explores ways in which historical insights can be imaginatively harnessed to understand the present and inform the future. In contrast to the familiar linear and chronological accounts of history, we outline a novel conceptual perspective that explores the interconnections between the past, present and future. Drawing on the work of Reinhart Koselleck, we outline a framework for analysing the interconnected categories of the ‘space of experience’ and ‘horizon of expectation’ across times. We consider the visions and anxieties of futures past and futures present, as well as the ways in which these are constituted by and inform experiences that have happened and are yet to come. We develop our conceptual frame through the study of the heritage, social purpose and lived experiences of a specific Victorian public park within an English city. This presents a case study in the formation of urban order, through which to interrogate both immediate and long-term linkages between past, present and possible futures. The experimental approach adopted here allows us to analyse the future prospects of urban social relations and to pose fundamental questions about the public purpose of urban parks.

Authors

• Anna Barker, University of Bradford

• Adam Crawford, University of Leeds

• David Churchill, University of Leeds