Book Launch & Round Table Discussion - Adaptable cities and temporary urbanisms

Cities are typically thought of as permanent. Structures, streets, infrastructure, and other features of the built environment, even if they are periodically replaced, are intended to endure. But temporary, flexible spaces and uses are essential to how cities function and the ways urban dwellers inhabit them. Such adaptability, moreover, is fundamental if cities are to meet the challenges of the future. In this talk, I will examine temporary urbanisms across varied global contexts, considering their significance for cities and everyday life as well as for policy and practice. While engaging with the key components and debates that have shaped our understanding of adaptable cities in the past few decades, I will bring together the diverse and distinct forms and facets of temporariness and adaptability—from sites of consumption by privileged residents to the survival strategies of marginalized groups. Doing so will allow exploring the driving forces of adaptability as well as the power dynamics and tensions between temporariness and permanence. I will also demonstrate how adaptability enhances liveability, sustainability, and resilience, showing its importance for addressing crises such as climate change, socioeconomic inequalities, and pandemics.

Lauren will be joined by a panel of experts: Emily Berwyn (founder and Director of Meanwhile Spaces), Matt Lally (Director of international planning, design and engineering consultancy at Arup), Peter Bishop (BSA, UCL) and Mike Raco (BSP, UCL).