Per una retorica dell’urbano: rileggere Michel de Certeau

The work of Michel de Certeau (1925-1986) sheds light on the complex intersections between the urban model devised by systemic agencies (political, social, corporate, academic, or religious) and the model sketched out by the practices, often elusive in their nature, of citizens who daily use urban spaces, redefining their boundaries and their purpose. This study re-reads De Certeau’s “L’invention du quotidien” (1980) to bring into focus the gap between institutional policies and individual resources, between macro-strategies and micro-tactics in the spatial outlay of the city. It does so by interrogating a few pivotal issues that De Certeau’s rhetorical work raises with regard to “urban studies”. We need reflect on how a thorough academic survey of tactical space runs the risk of endorsing its incorporation into the efficiency-driven system of institutionalized bureaucracy.