Temporary Urbanism in Public Spaces: A comparative between Europe and Latin America

Temporary urbanism has become increasingly prominent in urban planning practices and policy debates. However, while extensive research has focused on its application in the Global North, there is limit exploration of the Global South. To add relevant cases and broaden the theoretical debate, this thesis presents a comparative exploration of the practice of temporary urbanism in open spaces between the contexts of cities of Europe and Latin America. The theoretical framework of this thesis enhances the understanding of temporary urbanism as a global phenomenon by examining its diverse interpretations in European and Latin American contexts. Additionally, it introduces and explores the concept of "citizen urbanism," a term commonly used in Latin America to describe projects with characteristics similar to those of temporary urbanism. This thesis explores mirror case studies and main case studies. Mirror case studies provide insights into how temporary urbanism projects are implemented across different contexts in Europe and Latin America. In Europe, projects from Bremen and Barcelona are analyzed, while in Latin America, case studies from Santiago and Sao Paulo are examined. The main case studies focus on a detailed analysis and comparison between two distinct contexts: the city of Turin and a vulnerable neighborhood in Lima. All the projects studied in this thesis demonstrate how diverse urban environments –formal and informal– are appropriated under practices of temporary urbanism that employ bottom-up, top-down and hybrid approaches with different proposals that act as catalyst for urban issues. Finally, the thesis analyzed through the case studies and interviews conducted to urban agencies, the academy and policy makers how the urban conditions of the formal and informal cities, the roles of the citizens, promotors and municipalities influence in the implementation of temporary urbanism in European and vulnerable Latin American contexts. Based on this analysis, the thesis identifies key challenges and strengths in both contexts and offers recommendations for implementing temporary urbanism in vulnerable neighborhoods.