Landscape Architecture and Temporary or meanwhile Uses: Designing Flexible Spaces That Evolve Over Time

Not every outdoor space is designed with permanence in mind. Across the UK and beyond, temporary and meanwhile uses are becoming an increasingly important part of how land is planned, activated, and managed between development phases. For landscape architects, these transitional spaces present a distinctive set of opportunities - and a need for careful, adaptable design thinking.

Meanwhile spaces might include vacant plots awaiting development, underused land between planning stages, or temporary public realm installations. Despite their short-term nature, they can serve genuine community needs - providing green space, supporting local ecology, and contributing to the visual character of an area. Designing them well requires the same professional rigour as any permanent project.

Why Temporary Landscapes Deserve Serious Design Attention

It is easy to assume that interim spaces require minimal investment in design. In practice, the opposite is often true. Poorly considered temporary landscapes can become liabilities - visually degraded, ecologically barren, and difficult to manage. A professionally designed meanwhile space, by contrast, can deliver immediate community benefit, support Biodiversity goals, and lay the groundwork for longer-term development.

Landscape Architecture offers the tools to approach these spaces strategically. From initial feasibility assessments through to concept design and implementation, landscape architects can create frameworks that allow spaces to function effectively in the short term while remaining adaptable as circumstances change.

Flexible Design Strategies for Evolving Spaces

Designing for flexibility requires a different mindset to conventional project delivery. Rather than specifying fixed outcomes, the focus shifts to creating robust frameworks that can accommodate change. Key strategies include:

Modular layout planning - spaces are structured so that individual elements can be added, removed, or reconfigured without disrupting the whole
Planting Consultation that prioritises fast-establishing, ecologically valuable species - supporting wildlife and improving soil health during the interim period
Low-maintenance surface and material choices - reducing ongoing costs while maintaining visual quality
Biodiversity-led ground preparation - establishing conditions that can support habitat creation and contribute to Biodiversity requirements in subsequent phases

Garden and Landscape Design principles can also apply here, even at smaller scales. Thoughtful planting, clear circulation, and considered materiality make a meaningful difference to how temporary spaces are experienced and perceived.

The Role of Visual and Planning Frameworks

For many sites, meanwhile uses sit within broader planning and development contexts. Landscape Visual Impact Assessments are a valuable tool in these situations, helping to understand how a temporary intervention will be seen within its surroundings - and ensuring it does not conflict with longer-term proposals for the site or adjacent areas.

Masterplanning and Urban Design considerations are equally relevant. A meanwhile space does not exist in isolation. It sits within a wider urban or rural fabric, and its design should reflect the identity and character of its context. Whether the site is within a dense urban environment or a more rural setting, landscape architects bring the spatial understanding needed to ensure interim uses contribute positively rather than detract from the places around them.

Play, Community, and Activation

Some of the most successful meanwhile spaces are those that directly serve local communities. Temporary play areas, community growing spaces, and informal gathering areas can all be designed and delivered within modest budgets - while providing real value to the people who use them.

Play Design within temporary landscapes requires particular care. Safety, accessibility, and robustness must be maintained regardless of the interim nature of the space. Landscape architects understand how to specify and deliver play environments that meet current standards and genuinely engage their users - even when timescales and resources are constrained.

Community-facing meanwhile spaces also tend to build local support for future development. When people see land being used and cared for responsibly, confidence in the longer-term vision for a site is often strengthened. Design quality in the interim period can therefore have lasting reputational and planning benefits.

Designing Today for What Comes Next

One of the most valuable contributions a landscape architect can make to a meanwhile project is to design with the future in mind. Where planting, infrastructure, or ecological features established during an interim phase can be retained or built upon in subsequent development, the overall value of the investment increases significantly.

This requires close coordination with planning teams, developers, and other design professionals - an approach that sits at the heart of how ND Landscape Architects works across all project types. By engaging with meanwhile and temporary uses as seriously as any permanent commission, landscape architects can ensure that transitional land contributes meaningfully to sustainability goals, community needs, and long-term development quality.

If you are managing a site with interim development potential, or looking to activate land responsibly between planning phases, professional landscape architecture can help shape an approach that works now and supports what comes next. Browse our services or get in touch to discuss your project.

Get in touch:
Email: info@ndla.co.uk
Tel: +44 204 572 5470