Urban density meets rhythmanalysis: theorising lived density in the city

Urban density is increasingly on the agenda of urban geographical research where urbanists have in particular foregrounded the political dimension of ever-increasing densification of cities around the world. This article shifts the analytical focus away from structural considerations of politics and density and instead asks: how can we theorise people’s lived experiences with urban density? In this article, the notion of “lived density” is developed to make a conceptual contribution to existing debates on density. Lived density, it is proposed, signifies the practical engagement of being part of and perceiving urban density and the organic living quality of urban density itself. Lived density highlights the subjective, embodied experiences of urban density. We theorise lived density through a close reading of Henri Lefebvre’s work on rhythms and rhythmanalysis, arguing that lived density consists of the tripartite framework of subjectivity, materiality, and relationality. We decipher the conceptual-analytical opportunities which arise from lived density through a discussion of rhythms in a street market in Hong Kong.