Exploring Bucharest as a city in constant conflict between community and authorities, we define an in-between space of resilient and resourceful actions. Focusing on the actions of the civic group Lacul Tei, the Tei Community Centre, and its current latent state, this project proposes a mechanism to support the long term co-production of in between practices, citizen empowerment, and self-development. Positioning the design team as Urban Curators, a strategy is created by rearranging existing actors, resources, relations, and actions. By contrary, what is important is the process and how the spaces, activities and relations developed constitute the framework of collaboration, and promote self-managed development, based on the community’s internal needs.

Liminal Spaces as Urban Commons

Our project aims are to create urban commons in Ferentari neighbourhood that will aid in generating jobs and income, along with developing the sense of community and integrating the Roma people with the city. With these we hope to address the mainly social problems that this community faces, such as vulnerability of its citizens, informal settlements, racial discrimination and others. Our goal is also to reconnect this are with the city in a physical way as well as economical-social-politically. We also base our aims with concepts of resilience that we studied in Studio 1 such as resourcefulness, civic caring and common goods.