Levente Polyak

Temporary use is a learning process of accommodating innovation and adapting needs and capacities to available resources. It offers benefits to owners and users, in terms of security, maintenance, anchor tenants and social vibe on the one side, and affordable rents and spaces on the other. And it can help shaping new forms of cooperation between public administrations, private property owners and citizen initiatives. This article, based on the authors’ work in the URBACT knowledge transfer program Temporary Use as a Tool for Urban Regeneration and other initiatives and research, looks at a few examples to explore the conditions and potentials of temporary use in regenerating European cities and giving communities better access to urban spaces. Our article on temporary use at the URBACT website.

Interview at The European Urban Knowledge Network’s website. Levente Polyak and Daniela Patti, founders of Eutropian: “…civic participation brings with it alternative catalysts, energies and resources into the design and maintenance of urban public spaces.” Read the 1st and 2nd part of the interview at the EUKN website.

Thanks to the support of Advocate-Europe, we continue our research into emerging economic models of community-based urban development projects. The calls for the workshops in Madrid, Rome and Budapest will open soon! Stay tuned at http://eutropian.org and Eutropian!

The hills around the north-eastern Hungarian town of Eger are famous for their vineyards and wine production. Some of the nation’s favourite wines originate here, yet not all of the land is currently in use. Upon hearing of a long-abandoned parcel at the Érseki vineyard, winemaker Ferenc Csutorás grew curious about the unidentified grapevines he found there. Together with psychiatrist Imre Csernus and graphic designer Péter Mészáros, he harvested the grapes. The resulting wine surprised them all – it was one of the finest they had ever tasted. They decided to save the grapevines by relocating them to the neighbouring hill, and to share the wine with their visitors.

More: http://www.a10.eu/magazine/issues/64/wine-centre-eger.html

The possibilities of participation in heritage conservation and urban development in Europe
June 16, 19h
Bauhütte Südliche Friedrichstadt, Besselstr. 1, 10963 Berlin
http://makecity.berlin/14205/participation-and-re-use-of-post-industrial-heritage/?lang=en

Andriy Makarenko, Heinrich Böll Stiftung
Tabea Michaelis, denkstatt-sarl / NRS-insitu
Levente Polyák, KÉK – Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre

There is an increasing demand for participation when it comes to determining the re-use of post-industrial sites. Former employees and local residents want to be part of the decision making process regarding what should be done with examples industrial heritage. This process is related to the wider transformation of the city as a whole and the planning that shapes this development. This discussion will explore the benefits of participation for both planning and production of architecture as well that for for heritage conservation. Four experts with experience of different cases from across Europe will help us to understand the possibilities and implications of participation as a method for re-use of the past.

June 23-25
Pakhuis de Zwijger, Piet Heinkade 179, 1019 HC Amsterdam
https://dezwijger.nl/programma/update-new-europe

All across Europe a growing number of engaged entrepreneurs and active citizens now shape our European capitals. With this New Europe update we present stories of City Makers, their initiatives in and for the city, and the collaborations with institutional parties they engage in. Together we will look into the state of the European Capitals and the principles underlying these new transitional processes.

New interview at the New Europe – Cities in Transition platform:

“We feel happy when we create situations where people of very different backgrounds and very different positions in the hierarchy of urban decision-making engage in a conversation and start to understand the others’ view points.”

More: https://citiesintransition.eu/interview/aggregating-the-dispersed-urban-energies/

June 19-20, 2015
Kaptár, Révay-köz 4.
http://lakatlan.kek.org.hu/flexibilis-terek-vol2/
https://www.facebook.com/events/958639040821130/965906816761019/

On June 19-20, Kaptar CoWorking and the Hungarian Contemporary Architecture Centre organize an interactive design charrette for young designers and graduates. The charrette aims to facilitate the intermediate use of abandoned retail spaces to be used as coworking spaces by small design interventions. The workshop accompanies Kaptar’s soon-to-be-released mobile app, enabling the use of vacant spaces while providing new workspace options for urban nomads.

Tussentijd Rotterdam (Meanwhile Rotterdam) is a temporary use agency based born from a cooperation between Stipo and ANNA Real Estate & Culture. Tussentijd works together with housing corporations, private owners and municipal departments to help the interim use of buildings in periods of expected vacancy. In Tussentijd’s work, temporary use is considered both as a short-term solution and a basic for long-term strategies. In her lecture on June 19, Tussentijd-member Willemijn de Boer will present the organisation’s work, methods, achievements and challenges. More about Tussentijd at http://www.tussentijdrotterdam.nl

Az esemény a Creatieve Stimuleringsfonds NL és a Norvég Civil Támogatási Alap támogatásával, a KAPTÁR közösségi iroda partnerségével jött létre.
Supported by the Creatieve Stimuleringsfonds NL and EEA Norway Grants, with the partnership of KAPTÁR Co-Working.

2015. június 16. 10:00 – 17:00 óra
Pesti Megyeháza Díszterem, 1052 Budapest, Városház u.7.
http://www.pestmegye.hu/hirek-teruletfejlesztes/pest-megye-2020-konferencia-palyazati-lehetosegekrol-tamogatasokrol

A vállalkozások innovációs tevékenysége és az innovációhoz kapcsolódó állami és európai uniós források szerepe ma nagyobb, mint eddig bármikor. A konferencián elhangzó előadások kiemelik az innováció és a versenyképesség, valamint a településfejlesztés mind szorosabb kapcsolatát, hangsúlyozva a vállalkozások és közösségek partnerségének jelentőségét. Az esemény egyedülálló alkalmat jelent a települési vezetők, képviselők, a településfejlesztésben dolgozó szakemberek, valamint az innovatív vállalkozások közötti kapcsolatteremtésre, az együttműködés erősítésére, és a partnerségen alapuló tervek, komplex programok előkészítésére.

URBACT confirmed experts can support network activities on a permanent or on-spot basis, by providing content and/or working tools. They can also contribute to the overall programme activities. http://urbact.eu/polyak