Most of the professional training, thinking and strategies of
architects, urban designers and planners, are strictly
three-dimensional. In reality of course the city is four dimensional,
and one needs to acknowledge the influence of time in planning and
design strategies. Similarly, there has been relatively little analysis
of the importance of interim, short-term or 'meanwhile' activities in
urban areas. In an era of increasing pressure on scarce resources, we
cannot wait for long-term solutions to vacancy or dereliction. Instead,
we need to view temporary uses as increasingly legitimate and important
in their own right. They can be a powerful tool through which we can
drip-feed initiatives for incremental change - as and when we have the
resources - while being guided by a loose-fit vision.
Peter Bishop and Lesley Williams explore the growing interest among
practitioners at the cutting edge of architecture, urban design and
regeneration, in temporary, interim, 'pop-up' or 'meanwhile' uses for
land and buildings in our urban areas. They explore the origins and the
social, economic and technological drivers behind this phenomenon, and
its place within modern planning theory and practice. The Temporary
City challenges our preoccupation with long-term strategies and
masterplans and questions our ability to achieve these in the face of
increasing resource constraints and political and economic uncertainty.
The book includes sixty-eight diverse case studies from Europe and North
America which illustrate the range of temporary use opportunities and
the benefits that these can bring.
This is essential reading for all those struggling to address the
current problems of urban renewal in an era of great change. It offers a
prism through which to view the city as a rich mosaic of time-limited,
but inspiring urban interventions.
