A road scheme, the state, and the détournement of urban space: Henri Lefebvre and competing publics in postwar Hyde Park, London

Abstract

Henri Lefebvre develops the term, détournement, to help analyse how certain events can make urban spaces more ‘plastic’ and uncertain and thus more readily malleable for appropriation by groups and organisations. In the literature, however, there has less been discussion about how events of détournement can lead to often intense dialogue and internal divisions within and between state departments, and between the state and groups in civil society about how these uncertain spaces can be moulded strategically to suit certain agendas and projects. This paper starts to fill this scholarly gap by applying Lefebvre's insights to examine the Park Lane Road Improvement Scheme in London, 1955–1962. This road scheme built a dual carriageway system between Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch and unintentionally generated a moment of détournement in the surrounding spaces. The paper explores how four distinct publics emerged around the road scheme to discuss and elicit support for their respective agendas on how these uncertain spaces might be ‘stabilised’ once more. The four publics were: a ‘civic public’ assembled by the London County Council; a ‘local amenities public’ created by the Royal Fine Arts Commission; a ‘national heritage public’ assembled by the Ministry of Works; and a ‘free speech public’ constructed by defenders of Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park. The paper demonstrates how a road scheme can generate competing claims to publicness, which not only incorporate the state, but also open up strategic opportunities for progressive movements to extend and develop their rights to the city.