Når kreativitet skal blomstre: Et studie af byhaver og medborgerinddragelse i midlertidig byrumsudnyttelse

Abstract

Specialet ønsker at klarlægge, hvordan medborgerinddragelse kan anvendes i en midlertidig byrumsudnyttelse og hvordan dette kan have betydning for de involverede medborgere. Som case herfor bygger specialet på en undersøgelse af, hvordan byhaver og dermed medborgerinddragelse bruges i en midlertidig byrumsudnyttelse. Således placerer specialet sig i et skæringsfelt mellem byhaver, midlertidig byrumsudnyttelse samt byudvikling med involvering af borgere og kreative iværksættere

This master thesis focuses on the strategic use of urban citizens’ involvement in temporary use of urban spaces and on the related consequences for these citizens. The theoretical foundation of urban planning has shifted focus from master and long term planning to more weak planning and project organized efforts. The new trends in urban planning are leading to widening stakeholder involvement including citizen participation. With an offset in the case of two urban gardens (Aalborghaver) in Aalborg, the thesis examines how the local government uses the citizens in the temporary use of the urban spaces, and how this affects those involved. The empirical foundation for the thesis is a mixed method study, mainly qualitative. Three local government representatives were qualitatively interviewed along with nine occupants from the urban gardens. Theoretically, the master thesis is based on critical theory, social constructivism and hermeneutic. This offset, in combination with the findings from the empirical data, resulted in a post Marxist understanding of the use of citizen involvement in urban planning. The theoretical framework used for this thesis consists of theory pertaining to the field of urban planning together with sociology, especially Ecological Marxism and perspectives on creative classes. The thesis shows both a complexity of involving citizens in urban planning and a complexity of temporary urban spaces. Utilizing its right to shape the city, Aalborg Kommune alleviates itself from responsibility for the areas and imposes it onto the citizens. The transfer in responsibility has consequences for the occupants, and leads to frustrations concerning practical issues in one of the urban gardens and organizational issues in the other. Both the occupant involvement and the temporary nature of the gardens have been found to constitute a strategic tool for the use of the urban spaces. Since the areas are temporary, it makes it easier for Aalborg Kommune to make other dispositions of the asset, should a more permanent opportunity arise. Aalborg Kommune is aware that, by keeping the status temporary, it can both gather input for the future transformation opportunities and raise awareness for the area at the same time. There seems to be an alignment between the temporary nature of the gardens and the life situation of the urban gardeners. Thus, to some occupants the status is relaxing, and since the gardens are only temporal, the occupants can use cheaper and more short term solutions. Related to the gardens’ temporal nature are also more severe consequences. First, some occupants feel the temporality is a limitation, due to their lack of incentive to invest time and rev sources in the garden. Secondly, the power of Aalborg Kommune to terminate the right to a garden with a very short notice gives some occupants motivation to keep their garden to high standards in order to be well liked. In conclusion, the use of urban citizens’ involvement in temporary use of urban spaces and the temporary urban planning in itself can be said to be complex, and the way of using and especially combine these two tools can have consequences for the occupants involved. Thus, it can be argued that there is need for more focus on thinking the fields of urban planning and sociology together.

A master thesis from Aalborg University

Når kreativitet skal blomstre: Et studie af byhaver og medborgerinddragelse i midlertidig byrumsudnyttelse

[When creativity must grow: Urban gardening and citizens' involvement in temporal use of urban spaces]