On the Meanwhile
A series by: Aya Abdelfatah and Islam (Sam) Ibrahim
Building a City Takes Time
Our cities are growing at a fast pace with almost 80% of the world population living in urban areas. As the city grows, and to accommodate future needs, new buildings are built replacing older buildings and empty lots. It is all part of the city’s growth and development, which takes time.
These plots are often closed off to the public while waiting for the development process: land acquisition, design, permits, to name a few. But is there a way for these plots to positively contribute to the growth of the city in the meantime? How can these plots start defining the identity of a place before their full buildout?
What is the “meanwhile”?
So what is the “meanwhile”, one might ask. The “meanwhile” is this liminal phase which is often overlooked — a transition between one state to another. In our case, it is the temporary phase before construction begins. Conversely, some might argue that cities, very much like living beings, keep growing, developing, and morphing over time with no definitive end. Hence, development plots, being components/ building blocks of the city, are constantly in flux — this is a discussion for another time. For the sake of this discussion we will stick to the definition above.
Learning from Tactical Urbanism
One can learn a lot from tactical urbanism. Although “meanwhile” interventions are meant to be temporary, they can inform the potential future of the site and become permanent, similar to tactical urbanism projects.
Before we dive deeper into it, tactical urbanism “refers to a city, organizational, and/or citizen-led approach to neighbourhood building using short-term, low-cost, and scalable interventions to catalyze long-term change.”
How to prioritize temporary interventions?
There is a wide variety of temporary interventions that The Meanwhile City and many others offer for inspiration and learning. These interventions can vary in scale, time of implementation, cost, and duration of use. Depending on the specific needs of the surrounding community, they can offer targeted benefits. This is why it is important to analyze the context of the site as the first step.
The scale of the site is a major factor in choosing the interventions. For instance, large sites can be used to build temporary housing which can become a relief to the unhoused community. While smaller scale sites may only afford an additional bench or water fountain which can still be crucial.
Similarly, some sites are expected to be developed within months while others may take years before shovels are in the ground. In this case, the interventions are chosen based on the duration of implementation, or duration of use. It is possible to hold a seasonal market or a small concert in the short term. However, it would not make sense to build sports courts or a skate park if the site was to begin construction in a few months time.
The idea is that these uses can be specified and controlled based on the current needs of each community and thus offering a positive benefit while the sites wait to be developed.
The Meanwhile in Practice
So why would a landowner choose to undergo this process?
A number of municipalities are becoming more aware of the positive potential that lies within these empty lands and are using their regulatory instruments to encourage unlocking them. It is only a matter of time before they become a requirement.
Generally, governments can impose an additional tax, similar to the empty homes tax, or they can propose tax cuts and incentives, such as density bonuses to provide landowners with a financial incentive to comply rather than leaving the land vacant.
One current example is the community gardens program which allows landowners to involve community organizations in operating community gardens on their private property.
In doing so, the landowner benefits from having their future project pinned on the map before even breaking ground; an incredible marketing strategy. They can also choose to include revenue generating activities such as food trucks which can help sustain other community activities in the same location.
For the general public, the benefits are endless. They get to enjoy an additional community amenity which strengthens their sense of belonging to the place; a classic example of placemaking and city building.
Placemaking Benefits All
Cities should require temporary uses for properties that have been vacant for a long time. This works to ensure that these properties become positive contributors to the city’s public realm. Whether through revenue generating activities, or a simple green lawn, the value of these meanwhile spaces can alleviate any safety threat that they may pose if left empty and fenced. The meanwhile spaces become rather a defining factor to the identity of a place.
Urban Reflections is a series which sheds light on the degree of resilience of cities as revealed by the pandemic in a way that contributes to a constructive dialogue so that social justice prevails in the future of our urban life.
