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The Archaeology of Vacant Lots in Tucson, Arizona

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Richard Wilk  and
Michael B. Schiffer
Richard Wilk
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
Michael B. Schiffer
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
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Abstract

An archaeological survey of 17 vacant lots in Tucson, Arizona, was carried out as a student exercise. The survey disclosed evidence for a recurrent set of activities: travel from place to place, refuse disposal, storage, automobile-related uses, adult and children"s play, camping, and various removal processes. Hypotheses about several formation processes, especially trampling, are provided. It is argued that vacant lots are a distinctive kind of activity area involving public use of private space, present in all cities, whose archaeological study may shed light on past urban systems.

Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 44 , Issue 3 , July 1979 , pp. 530 - 536
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1979

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