The reclamation of urban space requires new revitalisation methods
Both COVID-19 and global climate change have emphasized the value of attractive outdoor space in cities. In particular, the reclamation of urban space from motor vehicles for pedestrian and multi-modal use requires new solutions to fill cities again with life. Yet, there is a lack of appropriate methods, products and services available for completing transformations with adequate speed, flexibility and quality at reasonable cost.
Current strategies include, at one end: informal adaptations involving temporary interventions such as pavement markings or coverings; traffic barriers; and lightweight structures like kiosks, stalls, and so forth. Referred to as tactical urbanism, the advantages are low cost, flexibility, rapid deployment and ease of unskilled citizen engagement. However, the disadvantages are lack of quality, unsustainability, and in some cases dangerous conflicts with essential urban flows or functions. Tactical urbanism interventions endure from hours to weeks, exceptionally months.
At the other end is full formal redesign and renovation, including: standardised competition or bidding procedures; thorough review and permitting processes; and removing/replacing hardscape surfaces, furnishing, plantings, infrastructures, etc. Formal urbanism interventions can result in high-quality results lasting years to decades, but at high-cost, with low flexibility, low citizen engagement and extended disruptive construction. The urgent and swiftly shifting nature of present challenges thus often make them unfeasible.
FURNISH can offer cost-effective transformation of public spaces
The missing middle – high-quality, flexible, quickly realisable, participatory, cost-effective transformations lasting months to years – is uniquely provided by FURNISH.
FURNISH offers expert consultancy services for successfully enacting transformations to efficiently and effectively improve the liveability of cities.
