Health, Diversity, and Temporary Appropriation in Public Space

This book explores how temporary appropriation—the spontaneous and informal use of public space—reveals how people actively shape their environments in ways that support health, diversity, and social interaction.

Cities are designed for order, but lived through improvisation. Contemporary cities are increasingly designed for control, efficiency, and safety, yet everyday urban life continues to exceed these intentions. This book explores how temporary appropriation—the spontaneous and informal use of public space—reveals how people actively shape their environments in ways that support health, diversity, and social interaction. Bringing together urban design, public health, and social theory, the book advances the concept of temporary appropriation as a fundamental mechanism through which urban life is produced and negotiated. Through international case studies and interdisciplinary analysis, it demonstrates how everyday practices such as play, social gathering, and informal adaptation contribute to physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Moving beyond conventional approaches to placemaking and design, the book introduces the notion of performative healthscapes, showing how health is not simply provided by infrastructure, but emerges through lived spatial practices. It also critically addresses issues of regulation, inclusion, and embodied diversity, highlighting the uneven capacity to appropriate space across different groups. This book will be of interest to scholars and students in urban design, planning, and urban health, as well as practitioners and policymakers concerned with creating more inclusive and adaptable public spaces.