An installment from Spacing's "Cities for People" series makes the case for tactical urbanism as a supplement to professional practice.
"As a so-called 'design professional' with six years of university education in architecture behind me, it can be a challenge to straddle the professional and the grassroots, but it can also be extremely rewarding. Collaborating on tactical urbanism projects lets me challenge my role as both a citizen and a professional, and I try to contribute as both," writes Sarah Gelbard.
Gelbard, who was one of the creative minds behind the Impromptu Playground project, begins the article by recounting the Ottawa Musical Underground event from last summer called Set the Stage, which reclaimed a freeway underpass for the purpose of making and listening to music.
The article includes insight into the process of Gelbard and her compatriots as well as clear descriptions of the value such activities have for her life and her career.
FULL STORY: Design Citizens: professional-grassroots urban tactics
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research