by Quentin Stevens (Author), Kim Dovey (Author)
Temporary and Tactical Urbanism
examines a key set of urban design strategies that have emerged in the
twenty-first century. Such projects range from guerrilla gardens and
bike lanes to more formalised temporary beaches and swimming pools,
parklets, pop-up plazas and buildings and container towns.
These
practices enable diverse forms of economic, social and artistic life
that are usually repressed by the fixities of urban form and its
management. This book takes a thematic approach to explore what the
scope of this practice is, and understand why it has risen to
prominence, how it works, who is involved, and what its implications are
for the future of city design and planning. It critically examines the
material, social, economic and political complexities that surround and
enable these small, ephemeral urban interventions. It identifies their
short-term and long-term implications for urban intensity, diversity,
creativity and adaptability.
The book's insights
into temporary and tactical urbanism have particular relevance in the
context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted both the need
and the possibility of quickly transforming urban spaces worldwide. They
also reveal significant lessons for the long-term planning and design
of buildings, landscapes and cities.