Marketing/ Lobying/ Image campaign

promoting temporary uses of urban spaces

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AIMS
1 to make in the long run the contemporary urban planning and urban space production practices more adaptive towards temporary uses
2 to increase in the long run the social acceptance of temporary users and uses
3 to increase in the short run the stakeholders knowledge about potentials of temporary uses

INITIATORS
Project staff of the Urban Catalysts project partner HUT/CURS in Helsinki.

ORGANISATIONThe organisation consists of Urban Catalysts project staff at the CURS.

NUMBER OF PEOPLE
1 part-time research director
1 full-time senior researcher
1 part-time assistant researcher

DURATION
UC project 1.4.2001- 30.3.2002
Work packages Tools + Demonstration tot. 10 person months

COSTS
Personnel costs, Funded from the UC project

AIMS
The local analysis of temporary uses did prove that the major impediments linked with the cultivation of temporary uses were the overheated estate market in combination with the professional planning and space production practices and social constructions that neglect temporary uses. The goal is to stimulate the involvement of temporary uses in the future urban renewal processes via lobbying for temporary uses. The aim of the lobbying for temporary uses is to make in the long run the contemporary urban planning and urban space production practices more adaptive towards temporary uses, as well as to increase the social acceptance of temporary uses and users. In the short run the aim is to increase the current and potential key stakeholders knowledge about potentials of temporary uses.

INITIATION
The initiation of the lobbying took place in December 2001 as part of the Urban Catalysts project.

ACTORS
The lobbying organisation consists of Urban Catalysts project staff at the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies (CURS) at the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT), the Finnish project partner of the Urban Catalysts project. The project personnel consist of one full-time senior researcher, one part-time project director and one part-time assistant researcher. The total number of staff at the multidisciplinary research institution CURS is about 30.

ACTIVITIES
The lobbying activities consist of studying, reporting and disseminating information of advantages of temporary uses for the current and potential stakeholders as well as for the wide public.

The non-site specific activities consist of:

·    Dissemination of the UC research results & other general information of temporary uses in form of newspaper and professional magazines articles and public lectures
·    Media publicity of the UC results and the potentials of temporary uses
·    Pedagogic & research cooperation with other universities in order to spread the knowledge of temporary uses among Finnish and international urban scholars
·    Initiation of national research linked with temporary uses
·    Discussions of potentials of temporary uses with representatives of two ministries in charge of urban development and environment
·    Providing research results to and discussing with stakeholders that will have key positions in the future processes of urban transformation of the industrial and harbour areas in Helsinki

The site-specific (Makasiinit, Pasila Engineering Works) activities consist of:

·    Trial to affect the political decision about the faith of one of the sites (Makasiinit) in form of media publicity as well as initiation and organisation of a public debate
·    Financial participation in arrangement of a site related citizen movement event (Makasiinit)
·    Dissemination of the UC research results among all the key stakeholders at sites (temporary users, estate owners, planners and other municipal authorities)

INTERNAL INTRACTION
The internal interaction consists of three spheres: interaction among the project staff, interaction with the staff of the institution (CURS) and interaction with the other UC project partners, including the project coordinator. The interaction with the multidisciplinary staff at the institution has helped in establishing key contacts with temporary users and citizen movement at the sites. The interaction with the other UC project partners has helped in setting the local context into a wider perspective.

EXTERNAL INTERACTION
The tool lobbying for temporary uses - is based on interaction with the current and potential stakeholders of such urban transition processes that might create gaps for temporary uses. The stakeholders consist of temporary users, estate owners, planners and other municipal officials, nearby residents and other citizens, media representatives and local politicians. CURS is like a spider in a net, waving the first fragile fibres that might grow to a sustainable network.

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