Reimagining urban void : using design provocations to support placemaking processes in Teesside

Abstract

In response to the challenges posed by urban voids in post-industrial regions, this research addresses the pressing need for alternative solutions to transform such neglected spaces. The research focuses on the role of prefiguration within placemaking as a transformative tool for reimagining these spaces. Drawing on related concepts of tactical urbanism, and urban acupuncture and using design methods, the thesis challenges local government dominant imaginaries and, rather, empowers communities in actively envisioning and shaping alternative futures for neglected urban spaces. The study focuses on Teesside, UK, where through a series of case studies, and in collaboration with three community groups, the research examined how non-planning experts could actively contribute to envisioning alternative futures for urban voids. The case studies involved deploying digital tools and design provocations. The first case challenged demolition at an industrial site through digitally materialising alternative futures, the second explored community-led envisioning via an online platform and physical toolkit, and the third employed speculative future scenarios through a mobile app for in-situ discussions. The research revealed that design provocations can effectively open spaces for discussion, provoke citizen groups to reimagine urban voids, and enable challenges to top-down decision-making. The design processes empowered community groups to articulate their aspirations, addressing issues of civic pride and cultural inertia within the citizen groups, but struggled to engage the wider public and found non-digital tools to be more effective in co-designing place futures. The primary contribution of this research lies in showcasing how prefigurative placemaking, supported by a combination of digital and non-digital tools, serves as a mechanism for eliciting community-led visions for the transformation of urban voids. By including citizens in the initial ideation processes of placemaking and utilising imaginaries to challenge existing narratives, the study provides valuable insights into how more citizen-led alternative futures for urban voids can emerge.