Marc Augé introduces the concept of non‑places: transient spaces—airports, motorways, chain shops—characterised by anonymity, impermanence, and lack of relational, historical, or identity markers. In an era of supermodernity, these ubiquitous spaces dominate, erasing the sense of social and cultural belonging. Non‑places are defined by their functional uniformity and engineered experiences. They are sites of circulation, consumption, or transit that isolate individuals within interchangeable, denationalised environments. Augé contrasts these with anthropological places, which are rich with meaning, identity, memory, and relational cohesion. For urban walking, the prevalence of non‑places erodes experiential richness. Pedestrians move through zones devoid of sensory, cultural or spatial complexity—spaces that offer little engagement, reflection, or social connection. This departure from meaningful environments contributes to alienation and diminishes place‑attachment. Augé’s critique calls urbanists to counteract non‑places by encouraging architectures and public realms that evoke memory, diversity, and belonging. Streets, squares, neighbourhoods can be re‑imbued with layers of identity—through local heritage, informal activity, sensory variation and participatory presence—restoring complexity and resisting homogenisation. This text acts as a critical mirror for modern urbanism, urging planners to attend to the subtle difference between space built for transit and space lived through. It remains a potent theoretical tool for imagining cities that feel humanly present, narratively rich, and emotionally compelling.
Augé, M. (1992) Non‑Places: Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity. London: Verso.
