Tactical urbanism: What it is and how it improves urban areas

Tactical urbanism is a flexible and experimental design approach that is transforming the way cities are reimagined and experienced. Through rapid, low-cost, and temporary interventions, it aims to improve the quality of public spaces, making them safer, more accessible, and more livable.

Tactical urbanism: Definition, principles, and objectives

Tactical urbanism is rooted in strong collaboration between local governments and citizens, emphasizing direct participation and promoting concrete solutions based on the real needs of the community.

It relies on small-scale actions, often implemented with lightweight and easily removable materials such as colorful paint, planters, and modular seating. These interventions allow cities to test new urban configurations and evaluate their effectiveness before considering permanent transformations.

The process is typically participatory and develops from the ground up, involving citizens, schools, and local associations in a spirit of co-design and shared stewardship of public spaces.

Tactical urbanism: Definition and meaning

With quick and low-cost interventions, tactical urbanism becomes a tool for urban prototyping. Projects are characterized by total reversibility: if the innovation being tested does not work, it can be removed or modified without permanent impacts.

The difference between tactical and traditional urbanism

To better understand the tactical approach, it is useful to compare it to traditional urban planning:

A bottom-up approach means a process that starts from the ground—from citizens or local communities—and works its way up to institutions. In contrast, a top-down approach involves decisions imposed from above, defined by administrations without direct citizen involvement. The former is often more effective, as it generates solutions that better meet real needs and encourages community engagement and care for the area.

What problems can tactical urbanism solve?

Tactical urbanism proves effective in addressing various urban challenges, from road safety to the revitalization of neglected spaces, and even the strengthening of civic participation and sense of belonging to the city.

Road safety and protection of vulnerable users

Where traffic is fast and visibility is poor—such as near intersections, pedestrian crossings, or schools—tactical urbanism offers immediate and low-cost solutions.

Speed reduction can be achieved with simple elements such as visual speed bumps, colorful road markings, or temporary urban furniture.

These measures can be complemented by devices to further improve visibility and safety, such as the Safe Join smart road mirror, equipped with a solar panel and designed to operate autonomously and effectively, even in unusual settings and adverse weather conditions.

Recovery and reuse of neglected urban spaces

In urban areas often used only for parking or left abandoned, tactical urbanism reimagines the environment with a social and green focus.

Anonymous squares are transformed into welcoming places with colorful paint, lightweight seating, and improvised play areas. Unused parking lots can be temporarily converted into pedestrian spaces, also thanks to mobile bike stations and green plants, creating a more human and shared atmosphere.

Civic engagement and co-design

Another important effect of tactical urbanism is the strengthening of the urban social fabric. Through workshops, public meetings, and direct involvement of schools and associations, citizens become active participants in shaping the spaces they live in. This process fosters a sense of belonging and collective responsibility, encouraging ongoing care and appreciation for the community.

Tactical urbanism: Real-world examples in Italy and around the world

More and more cities are adopting the tactical urbanism approach to respond quickly, inclusively, and sustainably to the challenges of public space.

Below are some significant examples, both in Italy and abroad, that demonstrate the positive impact of this model.

Examples in Italy

• In Milan, the “Piazze Aperte” project has transformed about 28,000 sqm of streets into temporary squares since 2018, with interventions involving paint, movable furniture, and civic participation.
• In Bologna, the “Bicipolitana” integrates experimental tactical sections into the metropolitan cycling and pedestrian network, promoting slow mobility and local engagement.
• In Rome, “school zones” have been created near schools with ground paintings, temporary signage, and soft barriers, improving student safety.

International examples

• In Barcelona, the Superilles project has reduced traffic, improved air quality, and fostered neighborhood life through pedestrian “superblocks.”
• In New York, the Tactical Urbanism Guide features examples such as Times Square, initially redesigned as a temporary project and now an urban model.
• Paris, with its “school streets”, has implemented tactical solutions to protect safety and air quality near schools.

How to design a tactical urbanism intervention

Delivering an effective tactical intervention requires a well-structured process that combines territorial analysis, active citizen engagement, and adaptability.

Here are the main phases that guide good design:

1. Identify a specific urban issue, such as a dangerous crossing, a poorly visible intersection, or a run-down public space.
2. Involve stakeholders and citizens actively through workshops, neighborhood meetings, and co-design labs. This participatory approach is the foundation of shared governance.
3. Design and implement temporary solutions using reversible materials: colorful paint, modular furniture, planters, or lightweight seating—simple elements capable of radically changing the perception and use of public space.
4. Monitor the intervention over time, collecting data on traffic, usage, user behavior, and perceived safety to objectively assess its effectiveness.
5. Decide whether to make the intervention permanent, based on the results obtained and community feedback.

This approach is also encouraged by grants and funding from the PNRR and PNSS, which promote rapid, sustainable, and participatory solutions for improving urban spaces.

Why tactical urbanism interests public administrations

Public administrations find numerous advantages in this approach, specifically:

• it allows for low-risk experimentation (lower costs, removable);
• it makes funding opportunities (PNRR, PNSS) more accessible;
• it encourages transparent communication, immediately showing results to the community.

Institutions such as INU and Labsus highlight its effectiveness as a cornerstone of innovative urban design.

A new vision for accessible and safe cities

Tactical urbanism is not a passing trend, but a structured method to improve cities through concrete, sustainable, and participatory interventions.

With limited resources, engaged communities, and smart experimentation, administrations can create safer, more inclusive, and more livable spaces, making cities more welcoming and responsive to the real needs of people.