Temporary Services for Shrinking Cities

Abstract

In shrinking cities, there is a need to simultaneously respond to current conditions of vacancy and loss, while anticipating prospects for stabilization and future growth. Temporary uses enable cities to harvest the opportunities that are present in on-going cycles of growth and decline. Rather than commit to a rigid and formal course of action. The widespread deployment of temporary use initiatives can point the way towards a new form of urbanism — one that is flexible, community-responsive, and sustainable.