“Tactical
urbanism” is a popular buzzword among urban planners. But what does it mean?
According to Mike Lydon, public space expert at Street Plans, tactical urbanism
is short-term action for a long-term change. A good example for that are the popular pop-up bike lanes coming up in many cities during
the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. They are cheap, simple and short-term solutions,
but there is a tactic behind them. They are intended for a deeper change, such
as more safety and space for cyclists.
Tactical urbanism can be
defined as “a city and
citizen-led approach to neighbourhood building using short-term, low-cost, and
scalable interventions intended to create long-term change”. Actions can be classified as tactical when they have a
vision, a local context, a short-term commitment, a low-risk and high-reward
value and the support of a community. Ideally, they even develop social capital
by bringing neighbours together. In the long term, pop-up interventions are
intended to get an official sanctioning or create change.
Due
to key trends in urbanism over the last decades, we are currently evolving
towards a more human-centred idea of urban planning. Copenhagen’s star planner Jan Gehl is a great example of
how to create cities for people, not for cars. Environmentalism, the sharing
economy, and sustainability as well as the development of technologies are
other trends that enable change in urban planning. A shift in demographics and
even an economic recession are opportunities for tactical urbanism – and the
good news is that anyone can participate in it!
Source:
https://parcitypatory.org/2020/07/31/tactical-urbanism/
