Charting New Ground: Between Tactical Urbanism and Strategic Spatial Planning

Abstract

In this paper, we highlight some of the challenges associated with strategic spatial planning, including long-time frames, limited control, translation and implementation gaps. We then explore how tactical urbanism might, in theory, address these s given its emphasis on small-scale, immediate, experimental action for long-term change. Our research with a Charter-based, principles-led, action-oriented network is then used to test these possibilities in practice. We conclude that tactical urbanism can be considered the antithesis of, complement to, or antidote depending on the disposition of planning authorities.

Cycling in Bogotá During a Pandemic. The Influence of Tactical Urbanism and Perceived Insecurity on Bicycle Usage

“…Only after the economic reactivation had they started to be questioned and to be thought of as permanent solutions to extend cycling network. Pop-up bikeways were more of a successful trial-both locally and internationally recognised-than a well-thought out tactical urbanism, and turned out to be concrete answers to spatial planning issues (Vallance and Edwards 2021).…”

Interpreting Tactical Urbanism through Innovation–Diffusion Theory: Insights from a Collaborative Design Studio Experience

“…The first four of these characteristics align with Lindblom's incremental planning theory, famously termed "disjointed incrementalism [11,12]". In Lindblom's incremental approach, "plans would never be written 'once and for all', but would evolve through a series of successive, but potentially disjointed, incremental changes [13]". Meanwhile, the latter characteristics, which emphasize collaboration and relationship building among various actors, including planners and residents, resonate with Friedmann's transactive planning theory [14].…”

The Promise of the City. Adventures in learning cities and higher education. By David Wilmoth, Laneway Press, 2021, 350 pp., $39.95 (hardback), ISBN: 978‐0‐ 6450070‐3‐9 (hardback); 978‐0‐6450070‐4‐6 (ebook)

“…Given the increasingly regular manifestations of the destructive power of nature, it is interesting to note how little "the environment" featured in policy discussions around urban issues in the California and Australia of the 1970s and 1980s. One can only speculate, for example, how different Wilmoth's views concerning the efficacy of top-down, strategic urban planning might have been transformed had he been living in San Francisco during the earthquake of October 1989 or the catastrophic fires of 2018, 2021, and 2022. This issue has received considered attention in a recent paper by Vallance and Edwards (2021). Advancing the argument for agile "tactical urbanism," they highlight serious deficiencies in the strategic planning model, especially in situations where a city is suddenly impacted by a disaster such as a flood, fire or earthquake.…”

“…This issue has received considered attention in a recent paper by Vallance and Edwards (2021). Advancing the argument for agile “tactical urbanism,” they highlight serious deficiencies in the strategic planning model, especially in situations where a city is suddenly impacted by a disaster such as a flood, fire or earthquake.…”