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Description
This paper investigates how bricolage thinking—a resourceful, adaptive approach that repurposes existing materials and tools—can be scaled from tactical, street-level interventions to strategic, city-wide transformation. While bricolage has traditionally been applied to small-scale, localized projects, this study argues that its principles of flexibility, resourcefulness, and relational thinking offer a powerful framework for addressing systemic urban challenges, such as fragmented infrastructure, social inequities, and environmental resilience. Through an analysis of five high-density urban renewal projects, the paper demonstrates how bricolage strategies—including the repurposing of found objects, the reconfiguration of material flows, and the fostering of multi-stakeholder collaboration—can stitch together fragmented urban fabrics and create more cohesive, resilient cities. The study highlights key design practices, such as the reuse of existing materials, the integration of local knowledge, and the creation of open, participatory frameworks that allow for adaptive, incremental change. By shifting from isolated, tactical actions to systemic, strategic approaches, the paper concludes that bricolage thinking can transform not only streets but also entire urban systems, offering a pathway toward more equitable, sustainable, and resilient cities. This research contributes to the growing discourse on urban transformation by proposing bricolage as a scalable, inclusive, and context-sensitive methodology for addressing the complexities of contemporary urban environments.
| Keywords | bricolage, urban transformation, tactical urbanism, resourcefulness, design research |
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