MRes alumni Sinan Wang is an urban researcher and critical designer from Zhejiang, China, currently pursuing a PhD in Design at the Glasgow School of Art. His research explores political tensions and power dynamics in everyday urban spaces, with a focus on how street furniture in the UK reflects spatial power and how critical design can engage with spatial justice.
In a published article for the Journal of Urban Design, Wang "examines everyday appropriations of street furniture as subtle yet meaningful forms of place-making and spatial negotiation within the highly regulated urban environment of Kensington and Chelsea, London. Employing a Grounded Theory methodology, the study identifies two interrelated appropriation modes – primary (spontaneous reinterpretations) and negotiated (deliberate modifications) – that reflect residents’ informal assertions of spatial agency. Drawing on theories of affordance, the right to the city, and micro-scale resistance, it argues that these interactions reveal overlooked dimensions of civic participation. The findings support more inclusive urban design practices that recognize and incorporate grassroots, bottom-up forms of public space engagement."
Wang, S. (2025) ‘Street furniture as a place-making tool: public appropriation and political conflict in Kensington and Chelsea, UK’, Journal of Urban Design, pp. 1–24. doi: 10.1080/13574809.2025.2541948.
You read the full article on this webpage.
