Temporality in Process… : A Case Study of Temporary Use, as an Urban Redevelopment Method in Malmö

Abstract: In every society, the reality of collective decision-making falls short of the democratic ideals in several ways. Yet there is a continuous focus on enhancing and adopting democratic practices through a stronger connection between citizens and public officials. One approach, towards improving democratic practises, which have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, is the incorporation of temporary use in the city. This approach to planning is something that this thesis has work towards understanding. As a means of research this phenomenon, this thesis has investigated a new redevelopment tool at Malmö municipality, known as “intermediate use”.  This thesis has investigated and evaluated this approach to planning and have done so by conduction case studies on the only current two project that utilizes this intermediate use as a method in the city. The projects at hand are: Skeppsbrokajen, a redevelopment project in the early stage of developing Malmö’s “new” city district Nyhamnen and is a project which aims to draw attention as well as establish the foundation for a green quay-walking lane that the municipality envisions for the future. The second case is Naturmolnet, a redevelopment projects located at Sofielund, a district that historically have a bad reputation and is undergoing a repurposing/rebranding phase which Naturmolnet is a part of. The case studies of these projects have been complimented by observations, interviews, and document studies, all in order to gain as deep understanding of the cases as possible. As a theoretical background a critical urban theory has been adopted, meaning that both strength and weaknesses of the investigated cases have been brought up as well as the thesis keeping an underlying strive for everyone right to the city. This thesis has utilized a theoretical structure consisting of temporality and its many implications. Accompanying this, an understanding of communication through the concept of citizen participation and the concept of public space and everyone’s right to it has been discussed. These ideas have finally been used in conjunction with each other in order to create a theoretical framework that this thesis have utilized as a tool to evaluate the democratic potential of the investigated cases. The result of the study showed that even though the intentions of these projects are similar, the outcome of what they have achieved during their time are vastly different. Naturmolnet have managed to create a successful democratic urban space that could be likened to a “bottom-up” approach to planning. Skeppsbrokajen on the other hand, have not been as successful in this endeavour, much due to the pandemic, and the planning here is more in line with the more classical “top-down” approach to planning.