This document analyses six early-stage regeneration projects in different European cities: the Aleksotas Innovation Industry Park in Kaunas, Amsterdam Science Park, Euston in London, Milan Innovation District MIND, the Institute of Art and Technology at Trafaria in the Lisbon metropolitan municipality of Almada and Zorrotzaurre in Bilbao.
These redevelopments are taking place in urban areas characterised by different degrees and forms of abandonment and decay in the past decades: former industrial areas such as Aleksotas and Zorrotzaurre; areas characterised by spatial fragmentation such as the Amsterdam Science Park and MIND; transport hubs such Euston or an abandoned prison in Trafaria where the Institute of Art and Technology will settle. All these projects aim to create vibrant cultural and creative hubs, yet with different positionings and connotations of ‘culture’ and ‘creativity’. These are the T-Factor’s pilots. In the next few years, T-Factor will co-produce temporary or meanwhile spaces through participatory methodologies, meant to turn the ‘waiting time’ of urban regeneration into a transformative time of radically new, collective, city-making.
In particular, this document dives into the six pilots’ local context and key characteristics, as well as into the regeneration vision and redevelopment plans. The focus on understanding the six different stories, visions and challenges is very important for T-Factor. Against the backdrop of global urbanism models that often reproduce one-size-fits-all solutions, T-Factor brings forward a bottom-up approach embedded in the uniqueness of each urban context. Therefore, this document aims to provide the necessary background information to ensure that the T-Factor project can implement meanwhile uses that are meaningful and relevant to the six pilots.
