Urban Living Rooms: Temporary Place-Making for Better Public Spaces

In this project, Kristianstad Municipality, in collaboration with RISE and Sesam Arkitekter, explored the role that flexible, small-scale, and temporary interventions and expertiments can play in revitalising public spaces in towns—complementing traditional planning processes. Such interventions may include new, small-scale and flexible ways of testing, establishing and disseminating mobility services, art and culture, social services, retail, sports, play and recreation, education, and more.

The first phase of the project involved a research review focused on:

1. the future of public spaces in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, and
2. the role of temporary solutions and experiments in public spaces in smaller towns around the world.

In the second phase, case studies were conducted in four public spaces within Kristianstad Municipality: Stora Torg and the Gamlegården Centre in Kristianstad, Fjälkinge Station Square, and the village square in Maglehem. These locations were selected because they represent four different types of public spaces typically found across Sweden. The insights are therefore transferable to many human settlements, including central towns, suburbs, larger urban areas and smaller settlements. 

Each site was studied in terms of its characteristics and challenges, in dialogue with local stakeholders such as residents and business owners. In addition, the social, economic, physical and knowledge-based resources available at each site were identified, focusing on their potential to be activated through temporary placemaking interventions. Based on the case studies and the literature review, a concept proposal was developed for each site, outlining how it could be revitalised in collaboration with local stakeholders.

The project resulted in a review of existing research, detailed site analyses, and the development of design proposals showing how each of the four locations could undergo step-by-step transformations in the coming years through temporary, small-scale interventions. These proposals were presented to the public through exhibitions held at each site during the summer of 2023. In addition, the project produced a “cookbook” outlining how municipalities, property owners, civil society actors and others can collaboratively transform spaces using temporary, small-scale solutions.