The LATENT/EMERGENT Community of Practice for Space Revitalization

In progress

Here’s an enumeration of what one would find during an ordinary visit throughout Romania. Vacant schools transformed into nature education centers. Synagogues that reopened their doors to host community cultural events. Restored manors, abuzz with visitors and events. Abandoned households coming back to life as community spaces, workshops, or artistic residencies. Deserted railway lines converted into tourist trails. Industrial sites that now house classical music festivals and concerts.

And so many more!

Our country is full of derelict spaces—this much we know, they’re all out there. Almost all settlements in Romania have visible traces left by a sharp demographic decline (mostly in rural and small-urban areas), industrial restructuring, property transfer in the post-communism years, or changes in the residents’ lifestyle. However, this dereliction has a strong counterforce; our country is full of teams and organizations who have seen the value and the potential of abandoned sites and are now envisioning and creating new functions for them – it’s what we call “breathing new life” into a place. Revitalization endeavors encompass much more than the practical activities of restoration or preservation, surpassing even aesthetic outcomes; within these processes, communities are born or reborn, giving way to creative, civic, and entrepreneurial synergies. Space is merely the beginning; the intervention upon it almost always becomes a way to generate conversation and create purpose in the community.

For those who are active and passionate about transforming and repurposing abandoned spaces, we are creating LATENT/EMERGENT, an action-based learning community for space revitalization. Our goal is to become a network of people passionate about similar ideas and processes, who develop their ideas by learning from one another, sharing experiences, challenges, and resources.

If you want to be part of LATENT/EMERGENT, please fill in this form (LINK).

You can find more information in the following presentation (RO only): LATENT/EMERGENT


LATENT/EMERGENT is part of the MKBT’s larger program “Capitalising on derelict spaces for local ecotourism development”, supported by the Romanian American Foundation.

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