Assemblage thinking and temporary appropriation: informal public performance spaces among elderly rural migrants in Jinan, China

This paper examines how elderly rural migrants in Jinan, China, a relatively understudied urban population, reshape informal public spaces through temporary appropriation and everyday cultural performance. Focusing on the Baihuazhou Historical District, a fragmented heritage area undergoing uneven urban renewal, the study explores how these migrants, constrained by limited access to formal cultural venues, adapt underutilised spaces, such as pavilions, corners, and plazas, into informal public performance spaces through repeated use and self-organisation. Building on these practices, a co-designed temporary installation was developed to support spatial reconfiguration, enabling new forms of visibility, belonging, and spatial agency. The analysis draws on two conceptual frameworks: temporary appropriation, as articulated by Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez and Alessandro Melis, and assemblage thinking, grounded in Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's work. These frameworks illuminate how public space is reassembled through material improvisation, social negotiation, and embodied routine. By highlighting the spatial agency of marginalised groups, the study contributes to debates on informal urbanism, cultural resilience, and participatory spatial practice, revealing how low-cost, ephemeral interventions can sustain cultural identity and foster inclusive urban life.