Temporary urbanism can offer exceptional economic and social value in revitalising public space. As we emerge from COVID-19, a pandemic which has seen our population retreat from public spaces, temporary urbanism may prove a valuable tool in reconnecting businesses, communities and public spaces. However, barriers in the existing planning frameworks will need to be addressed for temporary urbanism to play a greater role in the mainstream planning toolkit.

What is temporary urbanism?

Temporary, or tactical, urbanism has been heralded by urban design and planning experts as one of the most significant global movements in urban renewal in recent years. The term broadly refers to short-term, low-cost initiatives on underutilised, vacant or public space, that aims to revitalise local life for economic or social gain. These initiatives can range from more formal projects, such as street makeovers and neighbourhood gardens, to less formal 'DIY', 'pop-up' and 'guerrilla' urbanism.

The benefits of temporary urbanism

The benefits that flow from temporary use initiatives are helpfully illustrated by the Renew Newcastle cultural participation and urban renewal scheme, which operated for 10 years until 2019. The scheme involved connecting artists with the many vacant spaces in Newcastle's CBD, at heavily reduced rates. The artists would be able to use the space until they became commercially viable, or were redeveloped to bring regeneration into the post-industrial city.

As a temporary urbanism success story, the scheme provides a useful case study on the merits of temporary use. An independent study was conducted by the Centre of Full Employment and Equity (CoFEE) at the University of Newcastle in 2017. The study found the following economic and social benefits:

• Landlords – There is a tangible economic benefit to landlords resulting from the increasing value of and rental income received for their properties, which were otherwise unoccupied and decaying.
• Temporary Users – There is also a tangible economic benefit to temporary users, who benefit from the minimal rent to experiment in their space and develop their business.
• Community – The economic and social flow-on benefits to the community include:

• jobs and income created by participating in the scheme;
• a reduction of crime through increased vibrancy, and the associated increase in passive surveillance;
• an improved business and community confidence as people and businesses move to the area; and
• an improved brand value. There was an improvement of Newcastle's regional brand value as a city of vibrant, creative artists, and a desirable tourist destination. For example, Newcastle earned a place in the Lonely Planet's top ten cities for 2011.

Overall, the CoFEE study found that the Renew Newcastle scheme had generated a staggering 14:1 return on its $3 million to the local economy for the 2015-16 financial year.

The tricky question of governance

As temporary urbanism initiatives continue to garner interest and the value of temporary use becomes increasingly clear, the question is: How do we productively incorporate temporary urbanism into planning processes and local government practice?

While there has been some progress in integrating temporary urbanism into regulatory policy, there are issues that remain. Some policies have been criticised for making temporary urbanism activities expensive and institutionalised, as opposed to being achievable by ordinary citizens. An example of this can be seen in New South Wales' Standard Instrument – Principal Local Environment Plan (2006 EPI 155a) (NSW), a standardised instrument that provides an optional template local government planning controls for temporary land uses. Under this instrument, assessment periods of 4-6 weeks and application fees of $700 or more limit prospective applicants who are typically grass-root groups with limited budgets and opportunities to engage in these activities.

These issues have led to a notable tension between planning and temporary use. Renew Australia is a national social enterprise, designed to catalyse community renewal and economic development within the arts and creative industries across Australia, have warned against local government's 'unsympathetic approach', which 'can create cost, complexity and confusion' and 'kill' temporary use initiatives before they get off the ground.

However, there is potential for policy and governance to play a key enabling role. For example, local and state governments can enable temporary urbanism by:

• providing more flexibility in local and state planning policies to accommodate for temporary projects;
• publishing databases of vacant properties;
• leasing state-owned properties for temporary use; and
• providing seed funding for events and temporary urbanism organisations.

The way forward

Temporary urbanism may prove to have an important role in the post COVID-19 era. While the end of the pandemic is not yet in sight, urban design advocates are looking increasingly to temporary urban tactics. These tactics may provide an efficient and economical way of transitioning communities back into public spaces, while being nimble enough to respond to new outbreaks. As we have discussed, temporary urbanism can produce exceptional social and economic outcomes for our cities and public spaces.

This renewed focus on temporary urbanism initiatives may provide an opportunity for state and local governments to re-evaluate planning governance structures to ensure they are helping, rather than holding back, temporary urbanism activities.

If you would like further information on the issues raised above, please contact a member of our Infrastructure, Construction and Projects team.

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