Enabling Regulation for Temporary Use - Regenerating cities in the ‘meanwhile’
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Temporary or meanwhile uses are on the rise across Europe. Vacant buildings, empty lots, and unused spaces are becoming the object of temporary use as sites for co-creative experimentation, unlocking a multitude of innovative cultural, social and entrepreneurial activities. Often, these initiatives are key to build shared public value and rewire the social, cultural and economic fabric of urban areas under regeneration. However, temporary uses face many barriers, particularly in terms of regulation and especially when temporary uses derive from the action of civil society groups and grassroots movements.
The puzzle work of laws and bureaucratic procedure, as well as costs, that initiators must navigate to start a temporary use make it hard for communities to access and manage these spaces. The active support of public administrations is key, together with a simplification of rules, contracting and licensing mechanisms to make temporary uses a mainstreamed tool in urban regeneration plans. If city planners are willing to change their understanding of governance and make greater use of the self-organisation forces of residents, a new balance can emerge between the inputs of institutional actors and civil society influence: Cities can gain liveliness and attractiveness.
To this end, the Workshop “Enabling Regulation for Temporary Use” of the project T-Factor brings together experts from different European Cities to investigate which instruments, processes and understandings of the possibilities of the ‘meanwhile’ help to foster the positive effects of temporary urbanism.
During the workshop, the following questions in particular will be addressed:
- How do cities enable temporary use to enhance urban regeneration?
- How can city administrations develop capacities to use temporary urbanism?
- What are the possible directions for enabling temporary use regulation?
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