Temporary Urbanism in Times of COVID-19: Creating Refuge in Temporary Urban Spaces of Amman: A Comparative Reflection

Abstract

This article is an illustration on how the people of Amman have created temporary urban spaces as a means of coping with COVID-19 restrictions, particularly how they have appropriated spaces in the city normally not used as public spaces to socialize and find refuge outside their homes. The first section explores the lens of temporary urbanism across the Global North–South as an entry point to explore COVID-19 temporary spaces. The second turns to the context of Amman: first, by relating temporary urbanism to a wider understanding of it as a culturally permanent phenomenon and then by moving to a more speci fic understanding of the phenomenon. This is followed by three case studies of temporary spaces used during the pandemic in Amman: a parking space; sections of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lane; and a vacant plot of land. The discussion and concluding sections place the narratives of the temporary spaces of Amman/Global South and Global North in juxtaposition and point to the need to rethink planning practices.