Transient Spaces

Mass migration is one of the most important issues confronting cities in the 21st century. Increased border tensions and internal conflicts, compounded by environmental degradation and economic precariousness have created impromptu urban enclaves whose very character and economies are defined by migration. Continuous flows of people leaving and arriving challenge architects, planners, governments and policy makers to create infrastructural systems and spatial fabric of unparalleled elasticity. Transient Spaces is a curated collection of projects and essays addressing the impact of mass migration on cities around the world. The book examines transience as a force of opportunity and resilience in the design of cities and includes contributions from notable writers, designers and thinkers. How do global cities cope with populations in flux? What can they do to leverage the human capital, intellectual potential and entrepreneurial capacity of migrants to revitalize local economies and repair civic, cultural and environmental infrastructures? In impermanence lies potential. The work in Transient Spaces explores opportunities for cities to leverage conditions of impermanence in order to catalyze change, meet the needs of migrant populations, and foster sustainable urban development policies that benefit both host and guest communities more effectively. Transient Spaces is a provocation to explore cross-disciplinary borders and wider fields of knowledge. It is an exhortation to all nations, political leaders, planners and citizens of the world to open our minds and borders to the potential growth that comes from the interaction, integration, and innovation made possible the exchange of resources and ideas beyond borders.

Volume Editors

ISBN
978-1-944214-31-9