Mapping relational ecologies of degrado. The case of sex work in Rome

This contribution is rooted in an ethnographic exploration conducted in Rome aimed at investigating the urban geographies of street sex workers. Capturing the voices of those entangled in the phenomenon, including trans sex workers and their «neighbors», two case studies will exemplify the complex interactions between sex workers, residents, and urban spaces. In fact, while the city government strives to distance and confine the presences perceived as disturbing, degrado areas constitute a space of possibility for some non-normative subjectivities or practices. This potential extends beyond mere survival, encompassing the formation of diverse relationships. Drawing on literature from feminist and critical geography, urban studies, and political ecology, this contribution explores the relational ecologies of degrado, hoping that their recognition could redefine how policymakers understand and govern places that stimulate us to innovate the categories by which we recognize communal living.