18/6 SmallTalk #28 : The power of temporary [open/public] space - Temp.o.r

The Flemish Government Architect’s BWMSTR Label aims to foster innovative, policy-relevant ideas developed by researchers and designers, with a view to supporting uncommissioned research at an early stage. Holders of a BWMSTR Label are provided with a modest budget to turn their project into a proposal ready for submission to policymakers and public agencies. The Temp.o.r collective will receive BWMSTR Label 006 on 18 June, followed by a presentation of their ideas.

Starting from an exploration of (temporary) activities blooming in semi-natural open spaces, Temp.o.r - an informal collective of four Belgian PhD students in planning, landscape architecture, bio sciences and history - is suggesting an alternative approach to spatial development and management.

Semi-natural spaces - former meadows, croplands no longer cultivated, abandoned industrial sites, wastelands and expansion areas intermingled in the built-up urban fabric - can either be seen as options for future urban developments or as green spaces. These two options summarize the traditional conflict between urban development and open space conservation. But isn’t there a third option?