SPRAWLISM

“Space is not a scientific object removed from ideology or politics. It has always been political and strategic. There is an ideology of space. Because space, which seems homogeneous, which appears as a whole in its objectivity, in its pure form, such as we determine it, is a social product.”— Henri Lefebvre A Feminist Newsletter in New Jersey—about Urbanism (AF) does editorial reporting and civic engagement around urbanism in New Jersey through a feminist lens. We encourage moving the theory of feminist urbanism into practice, and we provide information so that the public and policy makers can educate themselves on the topic of feminist urbanism. AF is a project of Alternative Newsweekly Foundation founded by the Association of Alternative Newsmedia in 2002. We are also in partnership with the public Montclair State University’s Center for Cooperative Media, and we are a member of the Tiny News Collective. Why New Jersey? Because we live here AND because New Jersey is the most urban state in the United States. Every county is designated as urban by the US Census Bureau and it is the most dense state in the United States. We hope that what we discover in New Jersey can be a model for Feminist Urbanism across the US. AF takes our definition of feminism from bell hooks: “A movement to end sexism, exploitation, and oppression.” AF also borrows from the Combahee River Collective (CRC): “If Black women were free, it would mean that everyone else would have to be free since our freedom would necessitate the destruction of all the systems of oppression.” The CRC quote must not be taken as exclusion of other historically excluded or marginalized women groups. This idea includes transwomen, senior women, unmarried women, & disabled women. It is solidarity. There is abundance in the collective. A Feminist Newsletter in New Jersey —about urbanism, believes that together we can create a citylife that a diversity of people can share.