Can skateboarders in Nottingham be good partners to the city without being 'shock troops of gentrification'?

As part of a special edition of UCL's 'Urban Pamphleteer', guest edited by Sander Holsgens and Thom Callan-Riley (alongside series editors Ben Campkin and Rebecca Roos), this piece examines recent developments around 'DIY urbanism' in Nottingham, specifically the disadvantaged neighbourhoods of St Ann's and Sneinton and a narrative of conflict followed by cooperation between the municipality and local community groups - centred around an award-winning community-designed skatepark and a public plaza informally utilised by young people for skateboarding, despite the existence of a 2000s era bylaw limiting how young people can use public space.