Session I
Urban Wastelands. Spaces of Innovation or Times for Conflicts?
Facilitators: Francesca DI PIETRO (Université de Tours), Sarah DUBEAUX (ENS) & Cécile MATTOUG (Géographie-cités)
Urban wastelands are defined as urban spaces that are both temporally and officially unused. These spaces are the product of several social, economic and fiscal mechanisms or of urban dynamics like renewal or sprawl. Wastelands are therefore an integral part of the process of urban transformation.
Often informally used or appropriated by certain inhabitants or communities, they are utilised, for instance, to mitigate or compensate for the lack of public green spaces. But these uses sometimes go against densification policies being conducted by public actors to preserve natural spaces against urban sprawl.
This session discusses the inclusion of local urban wasteland initiatives into public policies and their attendant timescales. The following questions will be addressed: What types of appropriation by inhabitants take place in urban wastelands? Are these uses experimental or innovative in terms of processes, stakeholders, and timescales? How do these short time practices get integrated with long term institutional public policy processes? What kind of conflicts arise between authorities and communities? Does this process raise new challenges when it comes to the transformation of land use? Does informal use provide ways for producing or handling urban biodiversity? Finally, to what extent do local initiatives in urban wastelands enable new urban planning approaches to emerge?
Indicative bibliographical references
Ambrosino C., Andrès L., 2008, « Friches en ville : du temps de veille aux politiques de l’espace », Espaces et sociétés, 3-134, p. 37-51 [doi:10.3917/esp.134.0037].
Bonthoux S., Brun M., Di Pietro F., Greulich S., Bouché-Pillon S., 2014, “How Can Wastelands Promote Biodiversity in Cities? A Review”, Landscape and Urban Planning, n° 132, p. 79‑88 [doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.08.010].
Brun M., Di Pietro F., Bonthoux S., 2018, “Residents’ Perceptions and Valuations of Urban Wastelands are Influenced by VegÉtation Structure”, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, n° 29, p. 393‑403 [doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2017.01.005].
Dubeaux S., Cunningham Sabot E., 2018, “Maximizing the Potential of Vacant Spaces within Shrinking Cities, a German Approach”, Cities, vol. 75, p. 6-11.
Hofmann M., Westermann J.R., Kowarik I., van der Meer E., 2012, “Perceptions of Parks and Urban Derelict Land by Landscape Planners and Residents”, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, n° 11, p. 303‑312 [doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2012.04.001].
Lemoine G., 2017, « Usages temporaires des friches urbaines de l’Établissement public foncier Nord–Pas-de-Calais : une contribution aux villes durables ? », Techniques Sciences Méthodes, n° 3, p. 1‑8.
Mathey J., Arndt T., Banse J., Rink D., 2018, “Public Perception of Spontaneous VegÉtation on Brownfields in Urban Areas. Results from Surveys in Dresden and Leipzig (Germany)”, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, n° 29, p. 384-392 [doi:10.1016/j.ufug.2016.10.007].
Mattoug C., 2019, « Le temps des vides urbains. Pratiques d’appropriations, usages et représentations divergents des vides dans la fabrique de la ville », in A. Jazouli, La relève scientifique saison #1, Paris, CGET.
