UNUSED URBAN SPACE: CONSERVATION OR TRANSFORMATION? POLEMICS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF URBAN WASTELANDS AND ABANDONED BUILDINGS

Abstract

The paper discusses the role of unused urban spaces in the metropolis by reviewing polemic discourses about their futures. An inventory is made of international literature, pointing out difficulties in the definition of unused urban space. Examples of different cities and theories are used to illustrate the role of unused urban space in city planning and the production of urban space, being a powerful instrument during the formation and growth of cities and even in the case of their decline. Historical, economical, ecological and other values are identified as the cause of polemics regarding the future of vacant terrains and abandoned buildings. The effects of these polemics and disputes in practice are described, and criticized in the cases where they threaten the citizen’s right to the city.

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