Illuminating radical spatial imaginaries: Counter-mapping urban environmental justice struggles for the city yet to come

Abstract

Urban greening is not a neutral intervention on the social fabric. Critical analyses of the green city often concentrate on greening's top-down, hegemonic, and large-scale manifestations while neglecting the role of social movements. Aiming to address this gap, we ground discussions of “urbanized nature” within discussions of radical spatial imaginaries, concentrating on their performativity. We propose “counter-mapping” as an engaged methodology, developed with local activists, to illuminate radical green imaginaries. Examining 13 environmental justice struggles in Barcelona, we find place imaginaries to be tied to preserving unique sites, linking historical trauma to fears of future spatial fixes, and projecting inclusive, liveable neighborhoods as ideal futures. This study underscores the importance of comprehending how resistance to the prevailing “green-paradox” manifests in local contexts. Through this exercise, we might help make clearer the axes of common/divergent imaginaries and forge alliances, dialogues, and reflection among local movements and decision makers in Barcelona and beyond.