City streets are full of strangers, most of whom we barely notice, some of whom we might rather not see at all—the homeless, street drinkers, and sex workers, populations of people often vulnerable and isolated. Some draw attention—often unwelcome, but occasionally kindly. Footwork examines such urban kindness, specifically the practice of street-based care. Tom Hall follows the work of outreach practitioners, those whose job it is to look out for and cross-tracks with the homeless and others in need. Hall shows how caring for strangers in this context becomes a work of exploration and discovery. In this way,Footwork brings together aspects of urban geography, care work, and issues of street level vulnerability to uncover a side to city life we often look past.
The result of five years’ fieldwork, Footwork offers an original street-corner ethnography drawing on themes such as urban regeneration, lost space, and the twenty four–hour city. It shows how various aspects of city living impact the not-so hidden lives of those the book, and its key protagonists, seek to uncover and understand.
