The Eastern Curve was an overgrown, abandoned and little known piece of railway land used as an unofficial landfill site for several decades. Located in Dalston, one of the Greater London Authority’s priority areas for development and an area lacking in open space, it was identified as one of ten projects to receive London Development Agency funding for redevelopment. Within eight months the site was transformed into a vibrant resource for the local community, who were closely involved throughout the design and construction of the project.The Eastern Curve has quickly become established as a flexible and popular public space, hosting a variety of events from gardening to dancing. The project is also a good example of temporary use of land, with a ‘meantime’ arrangement in place with the local landowner to allow the space to be enhanced for the local community until more long-term development solutions are finalised.Fundamental to the project is its success in delivering benefits for the existing community. The site’s restoration has provided opportunities for volunteers and its design and construction offered apprenticeship schemes for local people.