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Urban regeneration projects often involve lengthy consultations that can leave communities waiting for progress. The T‑Factor project aimed to show how vibrant cultural and economic change can be accelerated by working on short-term projects with local residents.
The T‑Factor project evolved through collaboration with practitioners across Europe. Bringing together 26 partners from 10 EU Member States, China and the United Kingdom, it formed a dynamic coalition of cities, universities, businesses and community groups.
Taking inspiration from projects such as London’s King’s Cross, Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille, and Dortmunder U in Dortmund – where temporary uses rejuvenated neglected areas – the team pitched creative, participatory programmes to major urban stakeholders.
With support from public authorities and the European Commission, T‑Factor aimed to activate spaces during redevelopment, addressing social, cultural and environmental challenges while promoting urban renewal.
Engagement for impact
“Temporary uses” refers to interim solutions for spaces in transition, explains Laura Martelloni, strategic innovation designer and T‑Factor project coordinator. “It’s about using vacant or underused spaces for an interim period to test something that likely won’t be the end status but can inform the future.”
For example, in the early stages of the King’s Cross redevelopment, interim uses such as pop-up markets and cultural events were introduced to breathe life into the area and engage local residents. T‑Factor applied similar approaches to its six pilot cities: London, Bilbao, Milan, Amsterdam, Lisbon and Kaunas. Initiatives ranged from community gardens to cultural events and artistic installations, serving as testing grounds for innovative urban functions while actively involving local communities.
As a result, community participation was central to T‑Factor. The team spent over a year listening to residents and stakeholders, mapping their perceptions and addressing conflicts.
“We tried to engage different communities and stakeholders, mapping out all the different feelings and perceptions people had toward the regeneration,” continues Martelloni. “And this mapping phase was probably the most critical aspect of the project.”
In Bilbao, for instance, grassroots organisations that had previously worked in isolation came together to create a collective proposal for temporary uses. T‑Factor helped strengthen community bonds and ensured that urban spaces reflected the desires of those who would benefit from them.
Knowledge sharing was another key component of T‑Factor’s success. The project created Transformation Labs (T‑Labs) that gathered together international expertise in areas such as circular economy, social innovation, urban design and digitalisation to support local pilots and share what was learned.
Overcoming resistance
Integrating temporary uses into large-scale redevelopment wasn’t without obstacles. Convincing private developers to invest was difficult, as they often prioritised future profits over community interests.
“We found a lot of resistance from developers,” Martelloni adds. “Even when initiatives were successful, the developers’ primary focus remained on maintaining full ownership and control over the spaces, which often clashed with the community’s interests.”
To counter this, the project emphasised documentation, storytelling and shared advisory boards to align small-scale experiments with large-scale goals. Regulatory support from public institutions also helped push developers to prioritise community-focused initiatives.
Standout projects include Milan’s Herbula Garden, which transformed a future redevelopment site into a vibrant public space with biodiversity workshops and gardening activities. In Bilbao, Spain, an initiative to create shelters for feral cats rallied the local community around animal welfare, demonstrating how small projects can inspire broader compassion and engagement.
Lasting outcomes
T‑Factor had coverage in over 170 media outlets, engaged with 2 800 individuals and collaborated with over 250 policymakers.
Its output also included ‘From Within’, a comprehensive book on temporary-use projects, and a digital toolbox for replicating transformative urban projects. Additionally, T‑Factor co-organised the Many Possible Cities festival in Florence and took its findings on roadshows at 10 global events – sharing insights with policymakers, institutions and stakeholders.
As cities evolve, T‑Factor presents a cooperative approach to urban regeneration, promoting community-led creativity, inclusivity and experimentation that proves even short-term initiatives can have a long-lasting impact.