‘Opportunitijdelijkheid’ is a research project that focuses om temporary use of vacant buildings and spaces. It explores how temporary uses of vacant buildings and sites offer opportunities for (socially) just and sustainable urbanisation.
As a U!REKA partner (Urban Research and Education Knowledge Alliance), HOGENT develops several research and education project in that are closely related to the European goal to create 100 climate neutral and innovative cities by 2030. The project ‘Opportunitijdelijkheid’ – the title is a compilation of ‘opportunity’ and ‘temporary’ in Dutch - is one of them.
Through literature review, interviews and active and retrospective case studies, the research team investigates how the context of temporality offers opportunities to experiment and research towards a desired future. How does temporary use take into account the existing social reality and issues of the location itself, and how does it deal with them? The research by consequence works in a site-specific way, both spatially and socially, and together with the different actors within the site: the municipal administration, users and local residents.
The researchers analyse how opportunities can be translated into a new, temporary reality. They provide answers to the questions which spatial, social and policy contexts are important, where potential pitfalls lie, which roles various professionals, authorities and citizens can play and how processes of temporary use can be supported.
More info and contact: tine.vanthuynbe@hogent.be