Rhythmic assemblages: tactical publicness and the infrastructural edge in inter-urban Jordan

Inter-urban corridor edges – residual strips beyond the highway pavement – are systematically transformed into vibrant social environments during evening and weekend periods. Through an empirical study of nine nodes along the Amman–Jerash Highway 35 corridor in Jordan, drawing on 189 structured observation cycles, 21 corridor-user interviews and institutional interviews, the paper documents three node typologies: Scenic-Convivial (Type A, high reliability), Junction-Exchange (Type B, moderate) and Linear-Distributed (Type C, low). Synthesising Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis with assemblage theory, the ‘rhythmic assemblage’ framework introduces two original concepts: temporal tenure (de facto spatial claim through consistent occupation of a specific temporal window) and appropriated material publicness (informal actors’ construction of public-life infrastructure from below). Governance fragmentation produces regulatory indeterminacy enabling these practices, extending urban informality debates into the under-theorised geography of inter-urban corridors. The paper further identifies scenic enclosure: vendor-built informal destinations that initially expand leisure access subsequently impose entry charges selectively excluding local residents.