‘A stream of words’ – the Antwerp Quay Poem as interrogation of urban open form, polyphony and radical dialogue

This article examines polyphony and open form as key concepts connecting literary theory urban planning. It focuses on Peter Holvoet-Hanssen’s Quay Poem, an in-situ poem painted in 2011 the floodwalls of Antwerp quays during tenure city poet. The long public space provides important insights into how texts discourses development draw ultimately similar narrative structures, close dialogue with past layers meaning shadow future material transformations. gestures also to planning can gain from forms storytelling, particular way produces a remarkable openness form; it articulates radical variety different voices; continues speak after text itself has disappeared built environment.