Toolkit | My Port Heritage

The TEMPUS Toolkit (TT) is an instrument for developing heritage-driven entrepreneurship in Adriatic-Ionian port cities. It is based on the active engagement of enterprises, awareness of the importance of evolving culture through incremental innovation processes, and the creation of closer links between the quadruple-helix actors.

In port cities of the European Union, traditional industrial areas built around the port have widely been rendered obsolete at an increasing pace by the development of technology, the accelerating change of social needs and lifestyle, as well as by the life cycle of economic activities. Promoting cooperation between different levels of public authority and property owners interested in the revitalization of these areas can enhance their city’s economic prosperity and attractiveness.

Recommendations to overcome fear of change

TEMPUS has tested the effectiveness of Temporary Uses in 3 pilot cities. The results of this cross-border cooperation summarised as recommendations, can significantly support the work of the decision-makers and professionals creating new conditions in urban development. The recommendations, proposed by Local Shipyard Groups, consist of 4 key points:

SIMPLIFY PROCEDURES Most complex bureaucratic procedures for Temporary Uses Actions are – Installation, compliance, and performance assessment procedures; – Events organization (Urban art actions, on the other hand, have often proven to be simpler to implement); – Assignment and contract procedures, such as public procurements and bidding processes. A few suggestions to work with the current regulations – drafting a local vademecum to navigate the complexity of authorizations and permits required for all types of temporary use; – forming a trans-sectoral task force within Municipalities composed of representatives of different Departments (s.a. Urban Planning, Culture, and Environment). This task force would be in charge of collecting all the necessary documentation, by collaborating with the public/private and cultural institutions (Ministries, Port Authorities, foundations, etc…) managing Cultural and Natural Heritage, so as to provide stakeholders with all the necessary information.

ENSURE ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY – Incentives or benefits can be fostered by the Public Administration to promote the adoption of temporary uses also among private entities, or to facilitate their implementation in privately owned areas; – Funding sources alternative or complementary to public or private investment alone can be found (e.g. crowdfunding campaigns); – creation of specific collaboration and cooperation pacts between Public Institutions (s.a. Municipalities or Port Authorities), and citizens or stakeholders for the valorization and management of the cultural asset via temporary uses, with compatible timeframes and procedures.

ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY When implementing certain temporary uses, it is important to take into account the contribution to the protection of nature and the environment considering the overall sustainability and the emerging need to develop a climate-neutral solution. – Events / urban art actions / Tactical urbanism for cultural heritage: to supply the necessary electricity, a renewable energy accumulator of the appropriate capacity can be used; – Container-based temporary uses: current technology allows the production/accumulation of as much energy as is needed for the temporary use in the space of a container roof; – Incremental Re-Activation: different stages of the area’s evolution can be accompanied by the same solar panel modules, mounted on different supports according to their location.

INCREASE POLICYMAKERS AWARENESS Temporary uses should be part of local ordinary planning, as means of support for the plan’s implementation. Emilia Romagna Region has is setting a good practice that should be replicated on both sides of the Adriatic: the constitution of lists of minor Cultural Heritages whose valorization has potentially also a public (besides economic) value, so that the properties included could: 1. have a facilitated procedure for the realization of events, urban art action, and/or tactical urbanism; 2. participate in calls generally aimed only at public buildings, since their value for the regeneration of the territory is recognized; 3. be supported in a logic of inclusion of more complex processes.

Operating instruments for cultural evolution

The increasing scope of heritage policy facilitates discussion of the social effects of cultural heritage and how it can contribute to strengthening community cohesion, fostering a sense of belonging to the population as a whole, and building the capacity of citizens in pluralistic and democratic societies.

The TEMPUS project triggered two intertwined processes to valorize port cultural resources based on the development of new local entrepreneurial ecosystems deeply rooted in local traditions:

Operative manual to plan and realize TEMPUS exhibitions

Manual for the open calls for heritage-driven ideas

Operating instruments for incremental and disruptive innovation

For cultural policies at all levels, one of the most important topics today is the relationship of culture to sustainable development.

Recognizing the social dimension of culture and cultural diversity, the European agenda for culture (EC, 2018) emphasizes the contribution of culture to strengthening social cohesion and well-being by strengthening the ability of Europeans to actively participate in cultural activities, the mobility of professionals in the cultural and creative sector, and the protection and promotion of European cultural heritage as a common resource.

The TEMPUS project aimed to reach a real change by implementing an integrated set of Temporary Uses Actions (TUAs) focused on the idea of urban ports as melting pots of traditions, histories, activities, architectures, and cultures, which allowed creating new contextual values to be capitalized for triggering wider scale cultural resources valorization and regeneration processes.

It was first necessary to develop the basic documents:

Examples of implementation

In order to to achieve the set goals and design the final project outputs, partners have implemented a number of on-field activities from which relevant experience can be drawn:

Entrepreneurial local mapping
Two-stage exhibition design and implementation
Open calls for heritage-driven ideas
Perspective forums implementation

Download the full version of the TEMPUS Toolkit HERE!