Today, the citizen’s relationship with the urban context is moving towards the spreading of new practices for the re-appropriation of public spaces all over the world. It is becoming clearer nowadays, that only the city that improves the quality of life of its inhabitants is truly smart, putting the human element at the centre of every urban project.
Whether you live in a metropolis or a small town, you have likely seen it for yourself. Cities around the world are implementing flexible, creative and light interventions to catalyse profound changes within the urban context.
Tactical Urbanism proposes an alternative method to achieve urban regeneration that works mainly at the small scale of a street, a block or a building. Similar to the way acupuncture inserts needles into one part of the body to boost the well-being of the entire organism, a “tactical” project can lead to positive changes in a whole neighbourhood.
It can be considered as a tool to carry out experimental projects with a high communicative value, aiming to the improvement of public spaces or even the creation of new ones. It can “heal” and therefore renew some areas that have lost identity and functions over time, transforming them into more lively and pleasant ones.
Tactical interventions may vary significantly in scope, size, budget, and support. However, they all share the common goal of rethinking the public space with an innovative approach.
“Cities are not problems. They are solutions!”
Challenge
The challenge of this competition is to encourage participants to imagine a city where public space goes beyond the traditional conception of a park, a square or a street. The idea is to experiment with new urban scenarios which are able to promote social exchange, community activities and citizens interaction through the implementation of multifunctional designs.
Following the principles of Tactical Urbanism, participants are therefore asked to propose innovative and unconventional projects able to improve the current conditions of public spaces.
If the question is how to do it, then modularity and flexibility of use might be strategic aspects that can help you to come up with interesting ideas! How the same space could allow different functions according to the program of the day? How can a space meet different needs according to the requirements of the potential users?
Use your imagination and propose a concept that takes urban space into another level, transforming it to become more playful, lively and welcoming.
Prizes
- 1st Prize 2.000€
- 2nd Prize 1.000€
- 3rd Prize 500€
- 2 Golden Mentions 250€ each
- 10 Honorable Mentions
- 30 Shortlisted Finalists
