Reclaiming Public Spaces

Activating underused public spaces through community‑driven, cost‑effective interventions.

Edited on 30/04/2026

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Project proposal by

  • Institution : EDC Debrecen
  • City : Debrecen
  • Country : Hungary
  • Type of region : Less developed
  • Population : 200 000
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Debrecen is the second most populous city in Hungary and is an economically developing center. Despite its growth, the city faces typical urban challenges, which are being addressed through Debrecen's Strategic Urban Development Strategy (SUDS). This strategy emphasizes the importance of public engagement and aims to increase the creation and restoration of open spaces in urban areas.

The project idea aims to transform valuable urban areas into active public spaces through analytical, tactical urbanism approaches based on community engagement. It needs to highlight that, even though these areas have high pedestrian flow, they remain largely inactive outside peak periods, resulting in limited interaction and missed opportunities for community engagement and local development. The dominance of cars and unstructured parking prevents these spaces from functioning in safe, socially active environments despite their clear potential.

By involving residents, local businesses and public institutions (e.g. schools, libraries etc.) from the earliest stages, it seeks to increase community engagement. The tactical urbanism approach will demonstrate how temporary, low-cost interventions can create safer traffic conditions, reduce car dominance, and activate public spaces through community involvement. Local businesses can engage in CSR initiatives to demonstrate their commitment to the local community. Public institutions can actively participate in various community events, and their role in shaping public spaces can be highlighted.

This is an analytical project that, if the community accepts and embraces the temporary changes, will signal to the municipality that more ambitious permanent interventions are both feasible and desirable. This positions tactical urbanism as a valuable tool for policy learning, bridging the gap between strategic planning and actual urban transformations.

The project idea includes 4 steps:

  1. Analysis and Design: This phase involves examining space usage and addressing urban design issues while providing stakeholders with the opportunity to co-design the project.

  2. Implementation: Public spaces will be redesigned, and street furniture, plants, and other elements will be installed.

  3. Monitoring: The usage of the spaces will be monitored, and surveys will be conducted to gather feedback.

  4. Dissemination: The experiences and findings will be shared among stakeholders.