Of Other Spaces at Randalls and Wards Islands in New York City

In 1967, Michel Foucault put forth the notion of heterotopias: “other” spaces which do not politely fit into the city, instead figuratively or literally existing as islands within the urban fabric. In New York City, a complex urban archipelago, smaller islands historically serve as islands of exile. Like Venice, New York utilised water as a barrier before its bridges and tunnels existed. In the nineteenth century, Randalls and Wards Islands in the New York archipelago began housing asylums, almshouses, hospitals, reformatories, and potter’s fields, which officials imagined would help protect society and contribute towards reformation. Now contested spaces, these non-public functions compete with public parks and other infrastructure on the islands. The City recently erected temporary shelters there to house migrants, reaffirming Randalls and Wards Islands as places for exiles. This history reflects urban growth, class separation, and social tensions, particularly as the population of Manhattan grew rapidly northwards. Over time, the City excised undesirable populations from developed areas into new heterotopias remote from most residents. Engaging Foucault’s thesis on heterotopias allows new interpretations of the spatial and power dynamics that govern Randalls and Wards Islands in the New York archipelago.