By SAMIA SARFARAZ

AR- 102/2020-21
AR-603 STUDIES IN ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH
NED UNIVERSITY – MASTERS PROGRAM
Interactive Breathing Spaces:
Using Tactical Urbanism As An Intervention Tool
HYPOTHESIS

Introducing Tactical Urbanism To Develop Interactive

Local Neighborhoods And Open Public Spaces, Can Lead
To Improvement Of Community Connections And
Wellbeing
ABSTRACT

Cities around the world are realizing the potential of using low-cost
materials like paint and planters—often referred to as tactical urbanism
projects— to reclaim street space and improve safety and comfort for
the residents of over populous neighborhoods. “Tactical urbanism" is a
temporary change approach to the urban environment that can act as a
pop-up solution for the built environment. Tactical urbanism initiatives
are efficient tools to raise awareness about street design and use and its
potential to impact quality of life, even if permanent implementation
takes long. This study aims to develop a framework for facilitating the
implementation of TU projects in the local context. Three research
methodologies are taken into account to understand the behavior and
need of tactical urbanism in our local context.
QUESTIONS (RESEARCH)

1. WHAT IS TACTICAL URBANISM ?

2. HOW IT IS BENEFITTING NEIGHBORHOODS – SOCIAL AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ?
3. HOW LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BE TRANSFORMED WITH THE
INTERVENTION OF TACTICAL UEBANISM ?
4. CAN TACTICAL URBANISM OVERCOME THE ABSENCE OF PUBLIC SPACES
OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AREAS IN POPULOUS SOCIETIES ?
Tactical Urbanism | Definition |
A city and/or citizen-led approach
to neighborhood building using
short-term, low-cost and scale
able interventions, intended to
catalyze long-term change.
LITERATURE REVIEW
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 1: WHAT IS TACTICAL URBANISM ?

‘Tactical urbanism’ or ‘guerilla urbanism’ is one of the most exciting trends to hit our
streets.
Tac.ti.cal
➢ Of or relating to small-scale actions serving the larger purpose.

Tactical urbanism is the term used to describe ‘urban interventions’ that create more
‘people friendly’ streets and spaces – where people feel safe and comfortable moving
around, in ways that are good for their health and take care of the planet.

Tactical Urbanism is ‘decentralized, bottom-up, extraordinarily agile, networked,

low-cost, and low-tech’ practice to make use of boring patch of neighborhood with
low risks.
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 1: WHAT IS TACTICAL URBANISM ?

Tactical urbanism can be used to uncover
value and demonstrate how an underutilized
space could be transformed to contribute to
safety, community building, or economic goals.

Some examples include:

 Pop-up cycle lanes
 Shared space streets
 Pavement or sidewalk widening
 Play streets
 Park lets or micro parks
 Community gardens.
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 1: WHAT IS TACTICAL URBANISM ?
“Parks, streets, and other public spaces
provide the necessary bandwidth for the
flow of information between people; they
are where we learn who we live with,
what they look like and what they do. ”
– Melissa Mean & Charlie Tims
People Make Places: Growing the Public Life of Cities
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 1: WHAT IS TACTICAL URBANISM ?
Benefits of community led TU
 Easier participation in the planning
process
 Peer-to-peer learning
 Filling the gap left by funding
shortfalls
Key Factors
 High levels of participation by
citizens
 Temporary spaces that model a
change or preferred future for a
place
 Government-sanctioned or
government-led activities
 Short-term duration (1 day to 12
months)
 Intention to catalyze long-term
change
LITERATURE REVIEW

QUESTION 2: HOW IT IS BENEFITTING NEIGHBORHOODS – SOCIAL

AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ?

Tactical Urbanism is a common term used through community building and

rehabilitation. It can be used as a medium for the community to create and build
their own visions for the public realm of their neighborhoods .
It is like grassroots attempts to re-inject agency in the
relationship between residents and their environment.
Which can be fit neatly into any of the quality-of-life-
oriented urban agendas.

Urban events may make us happier

 by negotiating between Social Interactions
 by providing additional aesthetic stimuli
 by changing urban uses in favor of desired activities
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 2: HOW IT IS BENEFITTING NEIGHBORHOODS – SOCIAL
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ?
–The experiment, led by Happy City and the University
of Waterloo’s Urban Realities Lab …

“It was amazing to see how adding lush

greenery to a laneway, or bright color to an
intersection, can induce people to trust
strangers more,”

“Cities are full of mundane, everyday spaces.

Imagine the potential to transform them into
catalysts for positive emotions.
”
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 2: HOW IT IS BENEFITTING NEIGHBORHOODS – SOCIAL
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT ?
 Tactical urbanism efforts place a focus on involving people in the process who
will be most affected by these changes. The most important factor of tactical
urbanism is not just the small changes that are implemented but ultimately
the participation of residents because it helps the community resonant with
the neighborhood’s growth.
 Urban spaces are external environments which make people feel comfort.
They are essential to city’ life, as they permit the society to interact,
strengthen the identities of communities and make the population’ life
better. Urban spaces’ success depends on the efficiency and attractiveness of
the overall user design. Elshater, Abeer
 Many city neighborhoods lack adequate parks and open space, Tactical
Urbanism makes space for them to play or spent a little time from the
routines in open lanes makes a healthy impact.
 “We believe that great public spaces have the ability to foster
deep engagement and connections to one’s community, while also generating
feelings of well-being.” happycity.com
LITERATURE REVIEW

QUESTION 3: HOW LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BE TRANSFORMED

WITH THE INTERVENTION OF TACTICAL UEBANISM ?
Improving the livability of our towns and cities commonly starts at the
neighborhood, street, block, building or micro scale. This is where social capital
and creativity are most easily catalyzed.

Micro Building Block Street Neighborhood

LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 3: HOW LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BE TRANSFORMED WITH THE INTERVENTION OF
TACTICAL UEBANISM ?

STREET MAKEOVER
Purpose: To repurpose public roads into pedestrian spaces that encourage
people of all ages to be social and active
 Street makeovers temporarily repurpose public roads for car-free use. 30% of
urban space is dedicated to roads and car parks. Reclaiming this space for
pedestrians, can change streets into active places that contribute to health,
wellbeing and environmental quality of neighborhoods.
 Tactical street makeovers encourage people to temporarily re-imagine how
their roads could serve them as public spaces.
 At the smaller scale, the globally renowned Park(ing) Day project is the
source of much inspiration. This project by ReBar had humble beginnings:
they transformed a single parking space into a temporary public park by
simply paying the meter for a few hours.
 It also popularized the concept of ‘parklets’, where curbside car parks are
reinvented as public spaces for a day, a month, or even years at a time.
Street Transform as Play Street Park(ing) Day

Parklets
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 3: HOW LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BE TRANSFORMED WITH THE INTERVENTION OF
TACTICAL UEBANISM ?

BETTER BLOCK (NGO)

Purpose: To promote livable streets and vibrant, healthy Neighborhoods

 Better Block temporarily activates public space and vacant storefronts with
neighborhood-building street parties.
 Build a Better Block movement had humble beginnings, but grew into a major
force through the use of social media.
 Local community group gather volunteers and cheap or donated materials to
transform an underutilized city block
 A temporary market or small commercial area where food, flowers and cafe
vendors setup tables provided meeting places.
 Native landscaping (if available) and street furniture gave a sense of place
and painted “New York-style” cycle tracks slowed traffic.
LITERATURE REVIEW
QUESTION 3: HOW LOCAL NEIGHBORHOODS CAN BE TRANSFORMED WITH THE INTERVENTION OF
TACTICAL UEBANISM ?

NEIGHBORHOOD GARDENS
Purpose: To repurpose under utilized spaces for edible gardens
 Improve access to locally-grown food in the city.
 Tactical neighborhood gardening involves making simple,
low-cost improvements to streets or underutilized spaces,
making them available for growing food.
 This can involve everything from street-side planter boxes
to community gardens and food forests in public nature
strips (verge planting).
 Repurposing under utilized land for food production not only
means more locally grown food, but improved social and
physical wellbeing, skill development, street activation and
local economies.
LITERATURE REVIEW

QUESTION 4: CAN TACTICAL URBANISM OVERCOME THE

ABSENCE OF PUBLIC SPACES OR PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY AREAS IN POPULOUS SOCIETIES ?
 The urban population has been dramatically increasing worldwide and consequently
physical structure of the cities changes constantly, mostly in negative ways. As the
population increases, the demand for infrastructure and facilities also increases.
Murat Z. Memluk

 Temporary bicycle lanes and public spaces, traffic calming for a day or a month,
colorful crosswalks, turning parking lots into pop-up parks—such activities are taking
place across.
 Place making is considered both a process and a philosophy. The process uses a
collaborative, community-first approach to create and revitalize public spaces. The
philosophy leverages a hands-on, community-centric approach to change.
The need for URGENT
CHANGE is clear, but
changes to street design
still face a lot of
RESISTANCE.
CASE STUDY
PALLET PAVILION
PALLET PAVILION

 The Pallet Pavilion was a transitional architecture project that

functioned as a community space and venue for events. It was built by
volunteer power over 6 weeks in late 2012. It was a fully consented
built structure and unlike anything else in Christchurch at the time
and existed for two summers before being deconstructed.
VISION

 The vision for the pavilion was to build a piece of

temporary architecture from a modular item with
the help of volunteers.
 This constraint impacted upon the design as it had
to allow for unskilled people to put it together
and as such had to be simple and safe.
 The Pavilion was then to live as a community
venue, run with the help of volunteers before it
was then dismantled. This dismantling would be
done by volunteers once again, with the
composite elements of the Pavilion returning to
where they came (pallets, fruit crates, shade
umbrellas and plants etc.) or going on to new
uses.
 A TEMPORARY STRUCTURE MADE WITH LOVE

 The Pallet Pavilion was built from over 3000 wooden blue
CHEP pallets and was a showcase for the possibilities of
innovative transitional architecture in a city that was
ready to embrace new ideas.
 Designed by emerging designers, supported by established
professionals, and built from loaned, reused and donated
materials using volunteer, professional and community
labor, it was a testament to the effectiveness of a
collaborative and community-minded process.
 That creative ethos continued through its use, as the
Pavilion hosted live music, outdoor cinema and a wide
range of other events from Thursday to Sunday and was
also available for hire by any individual or community
organization at other times. The capacity of the venue
was 200 people.
A TEMPORARY STRUCTURE MADE WITH LOVE

 The Pavilion opened in early December 2012.

The blue exterior concealing a secret garden
within, its landscaping creatively integrated
into the walls and stepped seating. The
selection of plants bloomed over the course
of the summer.
A COMMUNITY VENUE

 Over the summer, the Pallet Pavilion helped to

address the city’s need for new small-to-medium
sized venues, after the loss of clubrooms and
community halls demolished as a result of the
earthquakes.
 Located on the prominent site of the former
Crowne Plaza Hotel, at the head of Victoria
Square, the Pavilion also aimed to draw people
back into Christchurch city, supporting central
businesses and promoting the central city as a
place for experimentation.
 It was a family-friendly venue and something
uniquely designed for Christchurch!
A COMMUNITY VENUE

 Thursday to Saturday the Pavilion was used largely

as a venue for live music in a city that had lost
many live music venues.
 For the rest of the week it was available to the
community for a small hire fee.
 A limited number of paying corporate events
contributed to the Pavilion’s ongoing running
costs. The general day-to-day programming and
running of the venue was done in the first summer
by local father and daughter duo, Amy and Glen
Jansen with help from son and brother Guy. For
the second summer, it was operated by Rosaria
Ferguson, Rafaela Bolanos, Robbie Lane and Tobin
Bain-Hogg.
Reimagining Streets As Public Spaces
The process of transformation:

 Identifying the site

 Engaging and building support with all stakeholders
 Pre-intervention analysis
 Developing design / Envisioning change
 Preparation of site
 Implementation of intervention
 Post-intervention analysis
 Publicizing change
Theoretical Framework:

Social Impact

For
Psychological people, Environmental
Impact by Impact

people

Economical
Impact
RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES:
Research Methodologies

 QUALITATIVE RESEARCH (SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE)

 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH (PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOP)
 CASE STUDIES
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

 Qualitative research methods are designed in a manner that help reveal

the behavior and perception of a target audience with reference to a
particular topic.

 Qualitative surveys use open-ended questions to produce long-form

written/typed answers. Questions will aim to reveal opinions,
experiences, narratives or accounts.

 STAKE HOLDERS FOR THIS ARE:

- LOCAL PEOPLE
- URBAN DESIGNERS & STUDENTS
- NGOS (HUMAN RIGHTS ESP.)
- LOCAL GOVT AUTHORITIES
OPEN ENDED QUESTIONS
(QUESTIONS WILL BE TRANSLATED INTO URDU TOO)

1. WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION OF TACTICAL URBANISM ? ‫عارضی ڈویلپمنٹ‬

2. WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY TEMPORARY DEVELOPMENT?

3. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE AN INTERACTIVE SPACE IN YOUR
NEIGHBOURHOOD ?
4. WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF HAVING INFORMAL COMMUNITY
GATHERING SPACE ?
5. WHAT KIND OF ACTIVITIES YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IN YOUR
NEIGHBOURHOOD?
6. WHAT TYPE OF PUBLIC RECREATIONAL AREAS YOU LIKE TO GO?
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

 Quantitative research is the process of collecting and analyzing

numerical data. It can be used to find patterns and averages, make
predictions, test causal relationships, and generalize results to wider
populations.

 FOCUS GROUP
- RESIDENTS OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
- UNION COUNCIL INDIVIDUALS
- NGO (WHO INTEND TO FINANCE FIRST STEP CAPITAL FOR THE PROJECT)
PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOP

 WORKSHOP WILL BE AT AN EMPTY PLOT OF THE SOCIETY WHICH IS BEING USED AS A PARKING
AND TRASH DUMP
 10 TO 12 PEOPLE INCLUDING RESIDENTS, UNION LEADER, SOCIAL WORKER(IF ANYONE WHO
GENERALLY VOLUNTEERS) FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND 2 PEOPLE FROM DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY AND 1 FROM NGO .
 2 VOLUNTEERS (STUDENTS OF RESEARCH)
 A VIDEO ON TACTICAL URBANISM FOR ABOUT 5 TO 7 MINUTES WILL BE SHOWN TO THE
PARTICIPANTS TO COMMENCE THE WORKSHOP
 THEN THERE WILL BE A SHORT INTRODUCTION ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
(STATISTICS ETC)
 PARTICIPANTS WILL BE FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS OR GET INTO DISCUSSION RIGHT AFTER THE
VDO AND INTRODUCTION
 A QUESTIONNAIRE WILL BE SHARED WITH THEM TO FILL THE QUESTIONS ASKED.
 IT WILL BE RECORDED (PREFERABLY VDO IF ALLOWED)
 EXPECTED TIME FOR THE WORKSHOP IS 30 TO 40 MINUTES .
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE WORKSHOP
PARTICIPANTS
1. DO YOU THINK THIS NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS REVAMP/UPGRADATION?
GENERAL
2. WHAT DOES THIS NEIGHBORHOOD MEANS TO YOU ? INFORMATION:
3. WOULD YOU LIKE TO DEVELOP YOUR STREETS AND OPEN SPACES LIKE WE SEE IN VDO ? NAME:
4. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS TO USE STREETS OF YOUR SOCIETY AS INTERACTIVE SPACE ? GENDER:
5. WOULD YOU LIKE TO INVEST YOUR TIME IN DEVELOPING YOUR COMMUNITY? AGE:
6. WILL YOU TAKE PART IN THE MAINTENANCE OF THE STREETS DEVELOPMENT ? OCCUPATION:
7. ARE YOU WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROJECT OF REVITALIZING YOUR AREA FINANCILLY ?
FAMILY MEMBERS:
8. WHAT ACTIVITIES YOU ARE INTRESTED TO HAVE HERE?
9. DO YOU THINK THESE INTERVENTIONS WILL HELP IN PEOPLE WELL BEING?
10. HOW MANY TIME IN A DAY/WEEK YOU GO OUT FOR A WALK/MEET N GREET OR PLAY?
11. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN GARDENING?
12. DO YOU GO FOR WALK/JOGGING DAILY?
CASE STUDY:

 Transforming streets with TU

Institute for Transport development policy
case studies from Chennai, Pune Ranchi in India
 Kiran Street Lyari
Questions Asked before proposing TU
project:
Is this design even feasible?

Where will the traffic flow?

What about parking?

What activities will take place here?

1. Building citizen support
for street transformation

2. Building support from

Traffic Police

3. Creating Safe Neighborhood

Streets

4. Using TUs to build momentum

for long term change

5. Reimagining streets as public

spaces — Car-free Sundays
Reimagining Streets As Public Spaces
The process of transformation:

 Identifying the site

 Engaging and building support with all stakeholders
 Pre-intervention analysis
 Developing design / Envisioning change
 Preparation of site
 Implementation of intervention
 Post-intervention analysis
 Publicizing change
Kiran Street – The Happy Street in Lyari
Founded and Funded by Kiran Foundation

1. Located in Baghdadi Lane No 10

2. Residential units are Painted with vivid colors
3. Paved with Crete tiles and
4. Decorated with occasional flower pots.

The City at Eye Level Asia by Architect Aroosa Mushtaq

(University of Karachi & Kiran Foundation)
The Public Realm
The first step was to study the context and define
potential street hardware. Community was involved for
different construction tasks to build sense of ownership
and to support them financially. Few visions for this
outlook were:

Make street safe and friendly by well-organized activities

inside and outside the facilities.
Clean street with colorful façade to replace dark
connotation with happy ones.
Child-friendly spaces to bring back life to the streets.
Welcoming boundaries and home like environment.
 Function:

 Streets function as primary public spaces in such dense

settlements. The irregular Kiran Street acts as a play
area for children, parking area for residents and pedestrian lane for
commuters.
 people often gather in groups at nooks and corners of the street where
exaggerated plinths of buildings become seating and interaction arrangement,
known as “thalla”.
 These inbuilt platforms also act as points of small and portable businesses in
the neighborhood, making them an integral part of their daily lives.
 Rooftop at Kiran was converted into a children outdoor play area which was
otherwise vacant.
CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK
 The project which began in two rooms spread into Kiran Flagship, a
four storey building and DCTO School of four building blocks. To
organize all activities inside and outside the schools, a collaboration of
Architect Aroosa Mushtaq, Architect Ali Khan, Team Kiran, government
agents and the community began in mid-April of 2017.
 Primary stakeholders, users and neighbors of the facility, became
responsible for site actions. Various construction tasks, like wood or
masonry works, were assigned to them.
 Secondary stakeholders (mainly visitors, commuters, maintenance
workers, etc.) became the key element of the urban design fabric.
 The State and sponsors became the tertiary stakeholder with their
financial aid and intangible support. Other sources of budget were
various social events and business initiatives by the foundation and
community.
Impact

 Increment in child education with 96% attendance at DCTO School.

 Positive association with the place, along with a responsible attitude towards
the environment.
 Kiran Flagship became known as Kiran Ghar, meaning a place like home.
DCTO School is called as Happy Valley by the children. While, the Kiran Street
is popularly called as Happy Street, which it even looks like. These urban
vocatives gave Lyari a positive identity.
 Cheerful encounters between the plinths and the public realm.
 Public friendly environment encouraged people to move from and to other
parts of the city.

The City at Eye Level Asia by Architect Aroosa Mushtaq

(University of Karachi & Kiran Foundation)