This thesis explores the significance of temporary interventions in revitalising unused urban spaces. It emphasises how these interventions can potentially enhance community engagement and elevate the overall quality of life in such areas. Temporary Intervention (TI) involves flexible, short-term uses of vacant spaces and is increasingly acknowledged for its ability to address urban challenges and promote social sustainability. However, a lack of understanding of the specific needs of cities and their communities hampers the effective implementation of these interventions.The research identifies the urgent need for a comprehensive understanding of cities' and communities' unique needs. This knowledge gap is often due to limited engagement with diverse community groups and insufficient consideration of local contexts. Traditional urban planning methods usually overlook urban life's dynamic and multifaceted nature, resulting in interventions that may not fully address the community's needs or aspirations. Existing toolkits for temporary interventions, such as the Temporary Use Toolkit and the Playful Cities Toolkit, provide valuable methodologies and frameworks for revitalising empty buildings and spaces. These toolkits offer engaging communities and implement temporary uses. They stress the importance of sustainability, community involvement, and flexibility in urban planning. However, these toolkits often need a more systematic approach to data collection and structured processes for mapping empty spaces and analysis, which are crucial for understanding the specific needs of different urban contexts. Additionally, they may not fully incorporate insights from ethnographic research, psychogeography, and urban studies (morphological and visual analysis), essential for capturing community members' lived experiences and emotional responses to their urban environment.This thesis introduces a novel systematic data collection and analysis method to address these shortcomings. This method integrates qualitative research techniques, including ethnographic studies, psychogeography explorations, and urban analysis, to gather comprehensive data on community needs and urban dynamics in Bologna, Italy (Piazza Scaravilli) and Huddersfield, England (Queensgate Market). By employing a mixed-methods approach, the research aims to provide a more nuanced understanding of how temporary interventions can be tailored to specific urban contexts. It also introduces a new term (transitional interventions), defining temporary interventions according to durability and flexibility, introduced in section 3.5 Case studies justification. The findings from this research underscore the crucial role of engaging with diverse community groups and considering the behavioural and cultural identity impacts of urban spaces. By incorporating these insights, temporary interventions can be more effectively designed to meet communities' specific needs, fostering greater social sustainability and inclusivity.This research reiterates the call for a more comprehensive approach, which involves collecting data from various sources with a well-organised and structured method. A systematic approach ensures that the data is analysed consistently and logically, following specific procedures and using appropriate tools and techniques, integrating insights from ethnography, psychogeography, and urban studies. By doing so, urban planners and policymakers can gain a deeper understanding and effectively respond to the intricate requirements of cities and their communities, leading to more effective and sustainable urban interventions.
| Date of Award | 9 Jun 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Anna Powell (Main Supervisor) |
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