01, Method
Read the city first.
Begin with local conditions, available resources and real constraints. The aim is not to identify an ideal cultural space. The aim is to understand what can be activated, negotiated, shared, tested or sustained.
This toolkit is a framework for discussion, experimentation and negotiation.
Move between sections, combine pathways and reject suggestions that do not fit the local context. A model that works in one city may fail in another because ownership, regulation, cost, mobility and community needs are different.
City reading
Five conditions to examine
01Spatial conditions+
Understand what exists, where it sits and when it is actually available.
- Are there vacant or underused buildings?
- Are peripheral areas underserved?
- Can spaces be activated temporarily?
- Are facilities empty at particular times?
02Institutional conditions+
Map the rules, relationships and intermediaries that make access possible.
- Is the municipality open to collaboration?
- Can public buildings host external actors?
- Are leasing and procurement rules flexible?
- Who can negotiate between actors and owners?
03Financial conditions+
Test affordability before treating physical availability as genuine access.
- Are rents affordable?
- Can costs be shared or subsidised?
- Which public, EU or private funds exist?
- Can income be generated without excluding users?
04Social and cultural conditions+
Ask who needs space, who remains unsupported and who risks displacement.
- Which groups lack cultural infrastructure?
- Is there trust between actors and institutions?
- Who cannot currently access cultural space?
- Could activation accelerate displacement?
05Environmental conditions+
Consider reuse, accessibility, mobility and the environmental cost of intervention.
- Can an existing building be reused?
- What energy upgrades are necessary?
- Is public transport access adequate?
- Can circular materials and resources be shared?