The promise within the mess of temporary uses: Inquiring into the parallelism of value and conflict in a transformation process in Aalborg, Denmark

Urban design has been reshuffling its practice to integrate temporary architectural structures as well as flexible policy structures. To some, a viable set of practices that offers rich testing grounds, to others a Trojan horse that compromises the potential of democracy. This article contributes to the debate on the potentials and conflicts, associated with temporary urbanism. By diving into how the city of Aalborg is orchestrating transformation processes via sanctioned temporary activities, the article enquires into the messy and complex reality of ongoing negotiations and collaborations, making the temporary activities possible. Ultimately, the article presents a position inspired by agonism that bridges the gap of an either-or fallacy and foregrounds that staying with the mess – both in terms of the case specific circumstances across collaborations and site negotiations as well as the applied methodology - enables a perspective that unlocks potential rather than locks in possibility.