Instinctively I have always considered flash mobs, the urban playground movement and urban gaming (what I call “Pop-Up Play”) part of Tactical Urbanism. I was very surprised while researching the subject for a class that very few others in the planning community share this view, despite the research and interviews done which explicitly state that civic engagement and community agency is often a driving factor for the organizers and participants of these events.

This “handbook” discusses Pop Up Play in the context of Tactical Urbanism and calls for urbanists to take it seriously as a way for people to reclaim the urban public realm. The handbook also discusses the history and legal concerns of the movement, as well as many examples of play events from cities around the world, and a how-to guide for starting an event. Currently on 66 pages, it is still a work in progress.
Skills and knowledge learned/improved upon: research, writing, InDesign, civic engagement, tactical urbanism, public space, social media.