Aurelie De SmetDelivery of a lecture for Architectuurwijzer on ‘De Gelatinesite als Waiting Space’ at the occasion of Open Monumentendag 2014. The lecture was part of the exhibition ‘Dystopian vision of the Gelatine site’ in which Architectuurwijzer questioned the future of the Gelatine site.
Increasingly, alternative approaches that combine long-term strategy with short-term tactics and seek a balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches are being advocated in urban planning. In these approaches, un(der)used urban spaces awaiting redevelopment – or ‘Waiting Spaces’ – are seen as ideal places to question the inclusive character of the city, to create real public space and to transcend the prevailing, dominant order; places where experimentation and innovation become possible. Waiting Spaces, such as the ‘Gelatinefabriek’, can therefore be seen as opportunities rather than threats to the city. In this lecture, I illustrate, using several examples, how Waiting Spaces can play a role in a renewed, demand-driven approach to spatial planning, design, and management through temporary use. I demonstrate how ‘temporary’ projects can be utilised in a flexible development process, as a co-production instrument, and as a laboratory for sustainable innovation.
