Leveraging a Street Festival for Lasting Transformation in a UNESCO World Heritage Neighbourhood

Corina Regales and Ilja Simons
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Corina Regales: Faculty of Engineering, University of Curaçao Dr. Moises da Costa Gomez, Curaçao
Ilja Simons: Academy for Leisure & Events, Breda University of Applied Sciences, The Netherlands

Urban Planning, 2026, vol. 11

Abstract: This qualitative study explores how a temporary cultural event has impacted the repositioning of a neighbourhood and led to urban revitalisation. The analysis is based on the Kaya Kaya street festival, a private bottom‐up initiative in Otrobanda, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Willemstad, Curaçao. By temporarily using vacant (historic) properties and underutilised public spaces to host cultural activities, Kaya Kaya has played a key role in positioning the neighbourhood as an attractive and artistic place. Drawing on interviews and theories on temporary use, the economic impact of cultural events, and bottom‐up initiatives, the study analyses how the event has shaped experiences, perceptions, and actions that have led to long‐lasting impacts on the neighbourhood. It demonstrates that although events have a temporary nature, they can generate multiple long‐lasting social, economic, and physical values that create new opportunities for their surroundings. Short‐term event impacts are easy to quantify, but longer‐lasting urban effects before and after are often overlooked by property owners, developers, investors, and policymakers. This case study aims to contribute to wider research on urban strategies by offering insights into how events as temporary use can be strategically leveraged to revitalise historic neighbourhoods while addressing benefits, risks, and limitations.

Keywords: cultural events; temporary use; urban revitalisation; world heritage sites (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:urbpla:v11:y:2026:a:11659

DOI: 10.17645/up.11659

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