Favorite footnotes – part 2

Certain books feature footnotes – that is no secret. I like them, as a reader and as an author. I use them in order to offer an additional level of detail or to point out something interesting. In the case of the footnote in "Bavarity – Coping with Crisis in the Space of Building Culture" presented in this post, I elaborated on a certain notion that I have been working on for quite some time. When crisis occurs, there is often talk of a desired "return to normal". The question is whether that is actually desirable. Was there a condition in place prior to the crisis that can be defined as "normalcy" or "normality" for all impacted populations? And, is this condition worth recreating? Quite a number of assumptions are tied to the notion of "returning to normal". From the perspective of planning, they require critical inquiry. The footnote on page 28 of the chapter on "Space as Crisis" states accordingly:

"The "new normal" is a term that is often evoked in the same breath as an assumed "normalcy" as it supposedly existed before crisis set in. Normalcy as a concept is comparable to the "equilibrium" and its functionalist economic connotations, or the "common good". The concept refers to phases before and after crisis, while the latter can be understood as an interruption of the routines of everyday life. Critics of the term "new normal" point out that it obscures and "normalizes" the root causes of crisis and disaster and specifically of social vulnerability, with inequality as significant example. See also Kammerbauer (2013, p. 50 ff.)."

The source mentioned in the footnote is, in fact, my dissertation in its bookstore edition. It deals specifically with the topics of normalcy, crisis and the "new normal" in the case of a North American city: Kammerbauer, M. (2013). Planning urban disaster recovery. Spatial, institutional and social aspects of urban disaster recovery in the USA – New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. VDG Schriftenreihe Bau- und Immobilienmanagement.

"Bavarity – Coping with Crisis in the Space of Building Culture" is available from Springer Spektrum and all booksellers.