Presenting case studies from around the world, including Tiananmen Square in Beijing; the National Mall in Washington, DC; Rabin Square in Tel Aviv; and the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Hatuka identifies three major dimensions of public protests: the process of planning the protest in a particular place; the choice of spatial choreography of the event, including the value and meaning of specific tactics; and the challenges of performing contemporary protests in public space in a fragmented, complex, and conflicted world. Numerous photographs, detailed diagrams, and plans complement the case studies, which draw upon interviews with city officials, urban planners, and protesters themselves.
An architect and urban planner, Tali Hatuka founded and directs the Laboratory of Contemporary Urban Design (LCUD) in the Department of Geography and Human Environment at Tel Aviv University. She is the author of Violent Acts and Urban Space in Contemporary Tel Aviv: Revisioning Moments.