Tactical Urbanism

Rik Adamski came to talk to our class on Tactical Urbanism.  What is Tactical Urbanism, you may ask?  Tactical Urbanism occurs when groups of "urban activists" hold interventions, of a sort.  They organize to perform quick projects, often lasting hours to days in duration.  The purpose of these interventions is to make a small part of the urban setting more lively, enjoyable and energized.

These grassroots projects can take many forms.  Most aim to instigate improvement in an area, or at the very least, raise awareness.  A few examples include:  Painting pedestrian crosswalks and redesigning back-in parking places by hand to increase foot traffic in an area (see photo below).  Turning unused patches of ground into a garden or small park.  Using hand-made signs to promote walking in "Walk Your City" campaigns.  Hand-painting bike lanes.

Perhaps the most widely known and popular example of Tactical Urbanism is Parking Day, and annual event held in many cities around the country (including Fort Worth).  For a day, Parking Day participants turn city parking spaces into mini-parks.    

To learn more about Tactical Urbanism, click Rik's YouTube page:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RikAdamski/feed?filter=2

Here are several images from Fort Worth's Parking Day (Credit Google Images):

Here are several other examples of Tactical Urbanism (images found on Google.com/images):

Here is an excellent site to learn more about Tactical Urbanism:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2012/03/guide-tactical-urbanism/1387/