ABSTRACT
In advanced industrial or post-industrial societies people's spatial vision is invariably naturalized in ways reflecting the society of spectacle that Debord was the first to theorize. People in both urban settings struggle to move beyond the world of extreme self-help to achieve the respectability of decent society. In Philadelphia decent citizens refer to those who live by the street code as ignorant; they lack human understanding required to fall within the reach of the city's civilizing capacity. One thing that stands out in a comparison with Rome is the explicit awareness Roman underprivileged citizens have of the prestige associated with their urban status. Pigneto seems to offer potential for urban parataxis, that lack of fit between the parts, which provides the foundation for an exciting urban environment. These parts of the city were appreciated by Pasolini because they are areas where urban meaning is not fully expressed, leaving the citizen to generate a narrative which suits his/her particular poetic needs.
