Open to the Public

Open to the public was a research trajectory and a public platform for discussion about the meaning and potential of vacant buildings. The urban planning in Preston had been dominated over the last decade by a large-scale regeneration plan: a vast part of the inner city was to be transformed into a new shopping district. The economic crisis caused the main investor to pull out and as a consequence the whole plan failed. The platform ‘Open to the Public’ was a reaction to this situation of general perplexity and aimed for the development of different ideas concerning the future of the city. A map of empty buildings was shown in an empty shop in the main shopping area. From there debates were organized about alternative usage of the empty buildings. For the duration of the project, the vacant properties in the city were marked off with barrier tape to indicate the ‘crime’ of vacancy.

⇓ Read more