On invitation by the Israeli planning department, Meanwhile Space attended WUF 11 (World Urban Forum) in Katowice, Poland, from 26 - 30 June 2022. As Israel's population is expected to rapidly grow over the next decades, large-scale and smart urban development strategies are needed, with meanwhile use being one of many tools to make best use of phased developments. Our presentation centred around the evolution of meanwhile use during the last decade which Meanwhile Space has seen and helped shape: from pop-up shop to flexible intervention as part of area regeneration with many economic and social values attached.
Further, the 10.000 attendee conference was an excellent opportunity to learn more about different organisations working towards achieving the SDGs (sustainable development goals), meeting other city-makers from around the world and discussing different approaches to changing our cities for the better, with acting in concert with all partners and stakeholders being key to successful urban change.
Last but not least, events like these always allow for self-reflection: how does the work we do fit into these goals and can we improve, e.g. striving to incorporate as many best practices into our projects as we can.