The essay "People as Infrastructure: Intersecting Fragments in Johannesburg" by AbdouMaliq Simone explores the inner city of Johannesburg, a place often seen as a ruin of urbanization. Simone argues that this urbanized social infrastructure facilitates the intersection of socialities, creating expanded spaces for economic and cultural operations for residents with limited means. The concept of "people as infrastructure" emphasizes the economic collaboration among residents, who are seemingly marginalized from urban life. This infrastructure is characterized by flexible, mobile, and provisional intersections of residents, operating without clear delineations of how the city should be inhabited. These intersections, particularly in recent decades, have relied on the ability of residents to engage complex combinations of objects, spaces, persons, and practices. Simone illustrates this through ethnographic materials on inner-city Johannesburg, showing how regularity and provisionality coexist, and how residents' reciprocal efforts lead to open, flexible, and provisional outcomes. The essay also discusses the challenges of urbanization, such as the failure of regulatory systems and the prevalence of informal economic activities. It highlights the complex dynamics of ethnic and national identities, the resilience of immigrant networks, and the role of xenophobia in shaping the inner city. The essay concludes by reflecting on the hybrid nature of Johannesburg, part American and part African, and how it embodies and accelerates aspects of urban life common to many African cities. The constant state of preparedness among residents, driven by discourses of war and experimentation, is a key feature of the inner city.The essay "People as Infrastructure: Intersecting Fragments in Johannesburg" by AbdouMaliq Simone explores the inner city of Johannesburg, a place often seen as a ruin of urbanization. Simone argues that this urbanized social infrastructure facilitates the intersection of socialities, creating expanded spaces for economic and cultural operations for residents with limited means. The concept of "people as infrastructure" emphasizes the economic collaboration among residents, who are seemingly marginalized from urban life. This infrastructure is characterized by flexible, mobile, and provisional intersections of residents, operating without clear delineations of how the city should be inhabited. These intersections, particularly in recent decades, have relied on the ability of residents to engage complex combinations of objects, spaces, persons, and practices. Simone illustrates this through ethnographic materials on inner-city Johannesburg, showing how regularity and provisionality coexist, and how residents' reciprocal efforts lead to open, flexible, and provisional outcomes. The essay also discusses the challenges of urbanization, such as the failure of regulatory systems and the prevalence of informal economic activities. It highlights the complex dynamics of ethnic and national identities, the resilience of immigrant networks, and the role of xenophobia in shaping the inner city. The essay concludes by reflecting on the hybrid nature of Johannesburg, part American and part African, and how it embodies and accelerates aspects of urban life common to many African cities. The constant state of preparedness among residents, driven by discourses of war and experimentation, is a key feature of the inner city.