Riding the City: Renegade Spaces of Street BMX
Abstract
Street BMX riders are transgressive actors within urban spaces who, through their riding and videography, edit social and spatial meanings within the city (Borden, 2001). My goal here is to unpack why and how riders engage with urban space in ways that rescript ‘the city’ and their own identities. I argue that riders challenge the assumed ‘order’ of the city, expose social and spatial boundaries, (re)interpet the spaces in which they ride, and ultimately claim space through riding and making videos to capture their performances.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Meghan Cope
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Geography
Primary Research Category
Social Sciences
Riding the City: Renegade Spaces of Street BMX
Street BMX riders are transgressive actors within urban spaces who, through their riding and videography, edit social and spatial meanings within the city (Borden, 2001). My goal here is to unpack why and how riders engage with urban space in ways that rescript ‘the city’ and their own identities. I argue that riders challenge the assumed ‘order’ of the city, expose social and spatial boundaries, (re)interpet the spaces in which they ride, and ultimately claim space through riding and making videos to capture their performances.