Wasteland Twinning is an ongoing International research network exploring the identity, value and current potential of Inner-City Wasteland sites located around the World. Experimental research activity is coordinated, communicated and documented through the website http://wasteland-twinning.net/
Wasteland Twinning hijacks the concept of ‘City Twinning’ and applies it to urban Wastelands in order to generate a network for parallel research and action. By subverting the ‘City Twinning’ concept and shifting the focus to wastelands, new questions of value and function are raised. Wasteland Twinning aims to develop a deeper understanding of these sites through trans-disciplinary models of practice.

Wasteland Twinning is led by a growing number of independent artists and practice based researchers, allowing cultural comparison to take place on a local and International scale. Through engaged and critical approaches, WT attempts to uncover some of the peculiarities and commonalities of various wasteland sites around the Globe, observed and explored since 2010. The overall project aspires to share methodologies, transfer knowledge and challenge urban land use policy by bringing wasteland sites into more critical and creative focus. As one of the primary instigators of the project, I would like to critically reflect on the journey so far, opening up some of the complex challenges and contradictions involved in the project.

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