| Centrally located residual areas are increasingly important to the
urban development of European cities. Revitalising these wastelands is often economically
and politically difficult. Yet numerous unplanned uses emerge in these areas which
often evolve into intensively used public and semi-public spaces, and become the starting
point for new service and media enterprises. These unplanned uses are based on informal
economies outside of traditional city planning and project development. Even though
they offer great potential for urban and economic development as well as social integration
and stabilisation, they are often displaced after a short period of time.
The aim of urban catalyst is to examine
strategies for temporary use and to develop instruments and methods that absorb its
potential into contemporary city management and urban design.
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