Temporary Urbanism

Temporary Urbanism
Erika Mayer // University of Florida
April 2013

During these rough economic times, cities and towns across the globe are dotted with vacant lots, unfinished projects developers have pulled out of, projects on hold for years…Even cities with high land value, such as New York, have empty parcels- just waiting, leaving a void in the urban fabric of neighborhoods, an eye sore to those who see it on a daily basis. But what if something could fill that void? Even if it was only temporary until more concrete plans were set in motion? What if you could turn that void into a pop-up park, an impromptu farmers market, an art show, installation, a café, a music venue…? Temporary urbanism is the exciting notion that we don't have to live with these voids, they can be filled, even if just temporarily. We don't have to wait for developers to come in with money; we don't have to depend on bureaucratic processes to shape our cities. It is possible to re-stitch the fabric of our communities and fulfill the immediate needs and desires of our neighborhoods. With temporary urbanism gaining traction in cities around the country, what seemed like a far reach years ago is now a possibility.

Temporary urbanism goes by many names including, tactical urbanism, temporary use, the "lighter, quicker, cheaper" movement (LQC), temporiums, and guerilla urbanism-- it is the temporary use of vacant structures or underused land that has no eminent development plans. (Lehtovuori, p. 2) This concise definition encompasses a wide range of variation in form- from actions such as art or musical performances to concrete expressions such as pop-up retail shops. It is incremental development and change from the bottom up that is community- driven and focused. (Ash)

"Temporary urbanism goes beyond exhorting what should be done. It focuses on what CAN be done by creating tangible—if temporary—alternatives to the status-quo. The temporary nature of these transformations enable citizens to think 'outside the block' and use the spaces as testing grounds for new ideas about urban living. In the process, it encourages cities to move beyond developers' empty lots (and promises) and engage residents about their city's future." (Artibise)

Historically speaking, temporary urbanism has been around for sometime, from carnivals and artist squatters, to night vendors and street hawkers. (McKone) People have been organically shaping their spaces from the bottom up for a while now. Medieval cities were great examples of people shaping their spaces based on what they needed and with the resources they had available, little by little, organically. In the same way, temporary urbanism offers communities a way to shape their neighborhoods based on what they need and with the resources available to them- to foster the vernacular landscape unique to their communities.

There are many benefits to temporary use. It creates an opportunity to change the perception of a neighborhood that may have been written off- capturing the zeitgeist of a particular community in that moment and bringing out its unique character. It can break up the homogeneity of an area, injecting creativity and life into a space, while bringing the public together with community-led organizing. This activation of space can in turn attract people and capital from other areas, bringing attention and possibly interest in living there or investing there. This is a slow process of course, but one that can be kick-started by exciting and imaginative temporary use. (Depillis)

Additionally, temporary urbanism can provide affordable rent for start-up companies and non-profits that normally cannot afford big overhead in the early stages of inception. This creates all types of possibilities for ideas that would normally not have enough money or traction to take off. It can act as an "incubator" for innovation in its early stages as well as further along in the development process. This whole process benefits the landlords of vacant lots and buildings as well, providing income they otherwise wouldn't have that could go towards paying any maintenance fees or taxes on the property. In turn, high exposure to the site may also spark long term interest to develop or lease. The city stands to gain something in eliminating the eye-sores that unused spaces can sometimes be, along with the crime that comes with it. (Lehtovuori, p. 7-8) Additionally, these spaces can act as an arena to test different ideas- allowing cities to see what works where. It can also act as an indicator for developers, allowing them to read the results of temporary uses in determining immediate needs of the community and to measure the success of different ventures. (Arieff, Time to Rethink Temporary)


Given the down economy and with some cities exhibiting up to 15% vacancy rates, now is as good a time as any for a concept like temporary urbanism to take off. It is low, cost, experimental, and ephemeral. (Newcombe) According to Mike Lyden, who authored the online "Tactical Urbanism" manuals 1 & 2- three elements set the perfect stage for temporary urbanism. The first was the recession, which forced people to get creative with minimal budgets and take spaces into their own hands as they saw city budgets dwindle and development dry up. Second, was shifting demographics- with neighborhoods changing and gentrifying, people began moving into areas with affordable rent, they started to make changes to their streets and make improvements to the neighborhood. Finally, the internet and social media have been a game changer- facilitating the communication of the idea of temporary urbanism, along with project examples, tips, and minfestos such as Lyden's which saw 10,000 downloads in the first 2 months. (Lyden, p. v-2) (Arieff, Time to Rethink Temporary)

The potential for temporary use varies from place to place, depending on certain conditions. Is there already an existing sense of place that can be built on, or is it more homogenous? Is there trust between the tenant and landlord? What level of creative freedom is allowed at the site? How accessible is the space from other parts of the city? All these questions shape the possibilities of use and the outcome. Projects can be ephemeral- as in an art installation, or they may be recurrent - like in a weekly outdoor movie night, they may even change from one location to another, the way a pop-up retail shop might jump from city to city. In "Temporary Uses As a Means of Experimental Urban Planning" Panu Lehtovuori identifies three types of special conditions where temporary uses take place, shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Temporary uses typology: conditions and goals


In urban central areas where use is defined and development is stable, temporary use may find purpose in adding character to otherwise stale city centers that usually house offices and municipal buildings. Under-used areas such as left over industrial landscapes or harbors can benefit from the place-making quality of temporary projects, injecting life and initiating the place as a viable option for living and visiting. Areas losing significance- for example, when an industry moves out of town- can use temporary urbanism to reinvigorate local business by attracting people into the area. It can also serve to redefine and rebrand the "sense of place." One theory Lehtovuori references when trying to analyze where temporary use will most likely take place is Neil Smith's "rent gap" theory, which can be characterized as the gap between the value of a site and its potential value. When this gap is high, gentrification occurs as investors and developers move in. It is in the moment before gentrification where temporary urbanism may take place. (Spirkoska) (Lehtovuori, p. 8-13)

Another graphic representation found in Mike Lydon's "Tactical Urbanism," expertly depicts the different types based on the actors and whether they were grass roots or authorized by the city- see Table 2. (Lydon, p. 7) One may note that as you move further to the sanctioned projects, they tend to move further away from local communities and individuals.


Table 2.


When it comes to policy, many cities across the country are beginning to adopt measures that would allow and facilitate temporary uses. It is arguable that bringing bureaucracy, paperwork, and regulation into something like this, conflicts with the fragile, spontaneous feel of temporary urbanism. It also raises questions- would regulation and an eagerness to enliven empty lots systematically make the whole process mechanical and prescribed? The perks of involving the city, however include having the option of using city-owned land as well as more money for project startup if the city is willing to invest or offer grants. In the article, "The Contradictions of Regulating 'Pop-up' Spaces," Jonna McKone identifies Washington DC as one of the many cities adopting temporary-friendly initiatives with its creation of the Temporary Urbanism Initiative. She points out,

"…it will be interesting to see how the city government expands the "temporary urbanism" program…neighborhoods on the cusp of gentrification are likely to see government intervention that encourages art and business as top-down gentrification. Others might see these projects as interventions that take away ownership from something that should be fluid and community-driven." (McKone)

Temporary urbanism should be seen as a shift from the traditional model of top-down planning to a more adaptable, and responsive form. It should be utilized as an opportunity to glean what works in spaces, what people need, and what they are asking for. With more and more cities adopting temporary use approaches, the future looks bright, especially for empty lots.






Works Cited


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Hou, Jeffrey. Insurgent Public Space: Guerrilla Urbanism and the Remaking of Contemporary Cities. New York: Routledge, 2010. Print.

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Project for Public Spaces. "Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper: A Low-Cost, High-Impact Approach." Project for Public Spaces. N.p., n.d. Web. Feb.-Mar. 2013. .

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