Post-industrial landscapes Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

This paper focuses on challenges to the protection of industrial heritage in Europe. While technical monuments such as mines are being protected and even achieve high status, there is considerably less interest in engaging with other... more

This paper focuses on challenges to the protection of industrial heritage in Europe. While technical monuments such as mines are being protected and even achieve high status, there is considerably less interest in engaging with other elements of the industrial past, such as workers’ housing or the history of the labour movement. This leads to the paradoxical effect of preserving industrial landscapes without workers, which prompts the question of what exactly is meant by industrial heritage. I argue that the reasons for that are diverse and include: a) ambiguity regarding protected values, b) city branding, c) isolation of industrial past, d) unclear meaning of de/industrialization. It only addresses those challenges that the industrial monuments and industrial past can become a true heritage.

Although ecological succession is one of the principal focuses of recent restoration ecology research, it is still unclear which factors drive this process and positively influence species richness and functional diversity. In this study... more

Although ecological succession is one of the principal focuses of recent restoration ecology research, it is still unclear which factors drive this process and positively influence species richness and functional diversity. In this study we sought to elucidate how species traits and functional diversity change during forest succession, and to identify important factors that determine the species in the observed assemblages. We analyzed species richness and functional diversity of ground beetle assemblages in relation to succession on post-industrial localities after habitat deterioration caused by spoil de-position. We selected ground beetles as they are known to be sensitive to landscape changes (with a large range of responses), and their taxonomy and ecology are generally well-known. Ground beetles were sampled on the spoil heaps during the last 30 years when spontaneous succession occurred. To calculate functional diversity, we used traits related to habitat and trophic niche, i.e. food specialization, wing morphology , trophic level, and bio-indication value. Ground beetle species were found to be distributed non-randomly in the assemblages in the late phase of succession. Ordination analyses revealed that the ground beetle assemblage was significantly associated with the proportion of forested area. Environmental heterogeneity generated assemblages that contained over-dispersed species traits. Our findings indicated that environmental conditions at late successional stages supported less mobile carnivorous species. Overall, we conclude that the decline in species richness and functional diversity in the middle of the studied succession gradient indicated that the assemblages of open habitats had been replaced by species typical of forest ecosystems.

The spoil heaps in Ostrava were created during mining of black coal in the first half of the 20th century. Later, there were efforts to “heal” the landscape by technical recla­mations, which are rather expensive. Our studies showed that... more

The spoil heaps in Ostrava were created during mining of black coal in the first half of the 20th century. Later, there were efforts to “heal” the landscape by technical recla­mations, which are rather expensive. Our studies showed that spontaneous succession on non-reclaimed spoil heaps is faster then succession on their reclaimed counterparts. The communities of invertebrates on non-reclaimed spoil heaps are also more mature and contain rare species in compa­rison with the reclaimed ones.

When a political ‘moment’ by necessity extends itself into a long-lasting project, stretching out over years rather than weeks or months, the maintenance of populist fervour becomes a key concern. By the time the United Kingdom officially... more

When a political ‘moment’ by necessity extends itself into a long-lasting project, stretching out over years rather than weeks or months, the maintenance of populist fervour becomes a key concern. By the time the United Kingdom officially leaves the European Union on 31/01/2021, the nation will have spent almost five years in the process of ‘Brexiting’. As an anomalous political project, ostensibly unaffiliated with any one political party, ideology or individual, Brexit has been unable to draw upon several of the core affective technologies of populism. Instead, in the face of mounting evidence for Brexit’s flaws, its proponents have come to rely upon a politics of communal and individual vanity. When asked in 2019 about their continued belief in the Brexit project, my interlocutors in Stanley, a small post-industrial town in England’s north east, frequently responded with the indignant claim, ‘the British people are not stupid’. This paper will explore the affective dimensions of such a claim, and the way a certain definition of ‘intelligence’ has become a significant site of investment in contemporary British nationalism. To suggest that Brexit might not have been the best choice, on whatever grounds, has become a slight to the intellect of the British people and of the Brexit-voting individual. Nationalism has always been a political ideology rooted in a certain kind of collective vanity, but in its peculiar emphasis on a myth of communal intellect, Brexit makes the political personal; intelligence, a highly valued cultural characteristic and site of both collective and individual vanity, cannot be questioned without provoking a volatile response. This volatile response is central to the perpetuation of the Brexit project.

Focus group research is rarely used for examining environmental discourses other than when conflict arises. This study looks at local citizen perceptions in relation to mined (or ‘cutaway’) industrial peatland landscapes in Ireland, and... more

Focus group research is rarely used for examining environmental discourses other than when conflict arises. This study looks at local citizen perceptions in relation to mined (or ‘cutaway’) industrial peatland landscapes in Ireland, and seeks to shine a light on the opinions of potential actors, and the degree of willingness to participate in after-use strategies, through focus group sessions. Data are analysed using two mechanisms—content and discourse analysis. It is shown that there is a high degree of reflective perceptions on issues of quality of life and the environment with a low level of concern about further use of peatlands as places of employment—a shift from a productive, utilitarian perception to a post- productive, non-utilitarian perception. It is also shown that, when presented with a scenario that sees cutaway peatlands being used for amenity and biodiversity, there are no negative issues and some degree of enthusiasm. This paper will conclude with remarks on focus group methodologies.

In Spain, the birth of interest in the nation's industrial heritage dates from the 1980s and occurred alongside the process of deindustrialization. Policies concerning derelict industrial sites have shifted gradually from destruction to... more

In Spain, the birth of interest in the nation's industrial heritage dates from the 1980s and occurred alongside the process of deindustrialization. Policies concerning derelict industrial sites have shifted gradually from destruction to preservation, rehabilitation, and enhancement, and industrial heritage enhancement projects are now widespread in the country. However, a clear mismatching has arisen between institutional and academic initiatives and local communities, which exhibit widespread disinterest in or even rejection of industrial remains. This problematic situation can be related to the utilization of industrial heritage as an economic resource without paying much attention to its connections with memory and identity. Also, the mismatching is due to a positivist approach to industrial heritage whereby the monument and the museum are prioritized. We argue that projects which consider industrial remains as part of cultural landscapes might shorten the gap between the institutional and economic side of industrial heritage and its identity-building and popular facets.

In the context of the economic restructuring of the city from a landscape of production to a landscape of consumption, there has been a general shift in the theory and practice of conservation. This paper will look at discourses centered... more

In the context of the economic restructuring of the city from a landscape of production to a landscape of consumption, there has been a general shift in the theory and practice of conservation. This paper will look at discourses centered around heritage conservation in Mumbai with the particular intent of examining how these play out in a post-industrial city attempting to demystify some of the rhetoric adopted by conservationists. It will try to show how conservation discourses and practices to align with the interests of dominant groups in the city, often insensitive to the interests of marginalized groups. In this process, landscapes of the city such as its industrial cores, places of workers housing, inner cities, gaothans and koliwadas which once were landscapes of manufacturing, commerce and productivity are relegated to the margins. As histories are constructed around imagined communities, landscapes are commodified, transforming traditional neighbourhoods into consumable artefacts and aestheticised enclaves. The paper argues for the need for alternative frameworks which are inclusive and accommodative of the needs and interests of local communities and address issues related to sociocultural continuity in historic landscapes.

Les tubes sont partout ! En nous : nous sommes faits de tubes : tubes auditifs, tubes digestifs, tubes bronchiques, etc. Et autour de nous : dans les Hauts-de-France, difficile de ne pas penser aux cheminées d’usines qui se déploient... more

Les tubes sont partout ! En nous : nous sommes faits de tubes : tubes auditifs, tubes digestifs, tubes bronchiques, etc.
Et autour de nous : dans les Hauts-de-France, difficile de ne pas penser aux cheminées d’usines qui se déploient aujourd’hui encore sur tout le littoral…
Hors de nous, ce sont aussi ces tuyaux et câbles post-industriels qui nous permettent de nous brancher, de nous coupler les uns aux autres pour, potentiellement, augmenter notre capacité d’action à distance grâce à Internet (on pense notamment au site de visionnage de vidéos en ligne YouTube).
Seulement voilà, à force de « travailler à plein tube », une urgence écologique se fait jour. Dès lors, quels types d’écologies mentale, sociale et environnementale mettre en place afin de prendre soin de soi et des autres, humains comme non-humains (animaux, végétaux, minéraux, etc.) ? Comment abolir les hiérarchies locales et globales dans le régime d’interconnectivité généralisée qui est le nôtre aujourd’hui ?

W XIX wieku rozwój procesu industrializacji przyczynił się do trwałych i nieodwracalnych przemian w krajobrazach miast. Nowe kompozycje przestrzenne pojawiały się wraz z budową kolejnych fabryk i zakładów przemysłowych oraz zespołów... more

W XIX wieku rozwój procesu industrializacji przyczynił się do trwałych i nieodwracalnych przemian w krajobrazach miast. Nowe kompozycje przestrzenne pojawiały się wraz z budową kolejnych fabryk i zakładów przemysłowych oraz zespołów zabudowy robotniczej. Do wielowątkowego rozwoju miast przyczyniła się także urbanistyka okresu modernizmu, w tym XX-wieczne plany regulacji. Integralnym elementem tych założeń były obiekty architektoniczne oraz parki i tereny zieleni komponowanej. Interesującym zagadnieniem były także wielkie koncepcje urbanistyczne (m. in. koncepcja trójmiasta Bytom-Zabrze-Gliwice), mające wpłynąć na poprawę funkcjonalności oraz wzrost wartości artystycznej obszaru. Celem rozważań jest analiza i charakterystyka typów kompozycji urbanistycznych, powstających w krajobrazach miast Górnego Śląska już od końca XVIII wieku. W zakres analiz włączono założenia o różnej skali i sposobie funkcjonowania, takie jak zespoły zabudowy przemysłowej, osiedla robotnicze oraz XX-wieczne kompozycje urbanistyczne, powstające na terenach śródmiejskich. Współcześnie obszary te, pomimo odmiennej funkcji, są ściśle ze sobą powiązane i wpływają na charakterystyczne poczucie tożsamości i ducha miejsca (genius loci). W toku rozważań określono uwarunkowania powstania poszczególnych układów urbanistycznych oraz ich współczesny stan zachowania. Zwrócono uwagę na kontekst krajobrazowy tych obszarów, oraz pojawiające się problemy. Podkreślono także ich wartość artystyczną oraz potencjał i znaczenie dla współczesnego rozwoju miast.

The paper aims at examining the current policy and practice on rehabilitation of former industrial areas in Austria, with special focus on industrial heritage and its social and economic potentials. Often neglected, industrial places are... more

The paper aims at examining the current policy and practice on rehabilitation of former industrial areas in Austria, with special focus on industrial heritage and its social and economic potentials. Often neglected, industrial places are today valuable sites with alternative aesthetics and after-use concepts such as living, cultural events, leisure or greening urban areas. The assumption is that regeneration of industrial areas needs the inclusion of local groups, in order to preserve the place identity and to initiate a beneficial re-use of the heritage site. Consequently the authors pay special attention to the planning processes and the positive effects of civil and creative development initiatives. The used methodology is based on qualitative and quantitative methods, including case studies, qualitative interviews and data analysis.

Essay in Julia Czerniak and George Hargreaves, editors, Large Parks

Retrografija dizajna je eksperimentalna intervencija u ugašenoj tvornici savitljive ambalaže “Polietilenka” u Bihaću koja se u vidu umjetničke akcije u trajanju od pet dana tokom jula 2015. godine odvijala u njenoj organizacionoj jedinici... more

Retrografija dizajna je eksperimentalna intervencija u ugašenoj tvornici savitljive ambalaže “Polietilenka” u Bihaću koja se u vidu umjetničke akcije u trajanju od pet dana tokom jula 2015. godine odvijala u njenoj organizacionoj jedinici Atelje – nekadašnjem odjelu za dizajn i reprofotografiju. Prodiranje u devastirane prostore ovoga sektora bilo je multidisciplinarnoga karaktera kako bi se istraživačko-dokumentarističkim pristupom između društvene teorije i umjetničke produkcije kreirala nova socijalna vrijednost. Na tragu strategije savremene kustoske prakse i umjetničkog djelovanja koje podrazumijeva alternativno, urgentno, direktno i site specific promišljanje, te involviranjem društvene zajednice, Retrografija dizajna se u svojoj konačnici razvila u multimedijski događaj sa snažnom interakcijom s bivšim radnicima i zainteresiranom javnošću posredstvom širokog spektra domaćih medija.
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Retrography of Design is the experimental intervention in the closed factory of flexible packaging “Polietilenka” in Bihać, that in form of the five-day art action in July 2015 took place in one of the factories organizational
unit Atelier – the former department for design and reproduction photography. Penetration to the devastated areas of this department had a multidisciplinary character in order to create new social value with research and documentary approach between social theory and artistic production.
On the track of a strategy of contemporary curatorial practice and artistic activities that involve alternative, urgent, direct and site specific reflection, as well as involvement of social community, Retrography of Design
in the end developed into a multimedia event of strong interaction with the former employees and interested public through a wide specter of local media.

Resorting to the example of memory of industrial work in socialist Yugoslavia, I suggest an interpretation of Yugonostalgia that differs from the dominant interpretations, according to which nostalgia represents a sentiment that paralyzes... more

Resorting to the example of memory of industrial work in socialist Yugoslavia, I suggest an interpretation of Yugonostalgia that differs from the dominant interpretations, according to which nostalgia represents a sentiment that paralyzes and prevents autonomous reflection on the past. I understand Yugonostalgia as the phenomenon “associated with a deeper
knowledge about social life” (Blackmar, 2001, p.328) and I warn about the aspects of affective and emotionally engaged workers‘ memories of the life in socialism that are more broadly socially relevant and surpass lamenting over the lost social security. Nostalgia that characterizes these memories does not prevent, but rather, allows operators of socialist industrialization and modernization to re-experience themselves as social actors. Nostalgia has the capacity to intervene in the present by encouraging tensions and creating discomfort, preventing socialist industrial ruins, the ruins of a modernist utopia, to be pacified, affectively neutralized and be sent back to history, or simply be ignored and gradually forgotten as the remains of an inappropriate socialist past.

A short exhibition text and selection of related images from my work A Low Bright Seam, which was exhibited as part of the conference Material Memory; The post industrial landscape as a site for creative practice. University of Newcastle... more

A short exhibition text and selection of related images from my work A Low Bright Seam, which was exhibited as part of the conference Material Memory; The post industrial landscape as a site for creative practice. University of Newcastle November 2014. I have subsequently written a book chapter for the related publication of the same name published by Cambridge Scholars in 2017, a link is included here.

A research study was initiated by the CPDT in connection with the European Landscape Convention on the Walloon heritage landscapes. Relying on the concept of artialisation developed by Alain Roger, this study tried to determine which... more

A research study was initiated by the CPDT in connection with the European Landscape
Convention on the Walloon heritage landscapes. Relying on the concept of artialisation
developed by Alain Roger, this study tried to determine which Walloon landscapes are likely to
become collective referents through their repeated representation and dissemination by the
different media such as painting, art photography or travel guides.

Having first emerged as one of the central Neo-Pop artists of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Yanagi Yukinori has subsequently established himself as a key figure exploring both critical and utopian reflections on the past, present, and... more

Having first emerged as one of the central Neo-Pop artists of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Yanagi Yukinori has subsequently established himself as a key figure exploring both critical and utopian reflections on the past, present, and future of Japan as a prototypical "post-growth" society—in terms of its demography, economy, and relative cultural decline. This paper will focus on his recent projects on two Inland Sea islands: his Seirensho factory conversion and house projects on Inujima and his new “Art Base” in an abandoned school on Momoshima. I will discuss their wider global relevance on three dimensions: his place in an emerging history of the 1990s cohort of artists from Japan; the ambiguous politics of welfare-based interventions focused on “surplus” populations of old people and lost generation youth; and the changing notion of art and artists as they take on roles of producer-curators, social workers, and political gurus.

Abstract This thesis aims to investigate the dialectics between urban planning and policy on the one hand and economic change and crises in the city of Malmö on the other, with a focus on both the city in general and the specific... more

Abstract
This thesis aims to investigate the dialectics between urban planning and policy on the one hand and economic change and crises in the city of Malmö on the other, with a focus on both the city in general and the specific district of Western Harbour.
Malmö provides a (highly) fascinating place to investigate relations between urban and economic change. The city embraced the industrial path longer than many other Western cities, only to crash into a severe crisis in the 1980s and early 1990s. In the mid-1990s the city embraced a “post-industrial” strategy, and from this point onward urban changes became resolute and drastic. Less than a decade later the image of the city had fundamentally changed. But the international economy that served as foundation for the post-industrial city proved to be crisis-prone, and the 2008 crisis especially called this urban-economic arrangement into question.
This thesis answers two broad research questions: how did Malmö respond to (the “industrial” as well as the “current” economic) crises? What characterises Malmö´s transformation from an industrial to a post-industrial city and which strategies have been mobilised? Based on semi-structured interviews, written material and secondary sources (in particular municipal planning and policy documents), four theoretical papers seek to investigate these issues. I argue that Malmö met the current crisis by actively continuing to develop the “post-industrial” city that had evolved starting in the mid-1990s. The dissertation then draws parallels with the city response to the “industrial” crisis, and finds interesting similarities. Malmö, then and now, met the crisis by “building more of the same”. The dissertation also investigates the metamorphosis the city has gone through, and argues that class is a crucial component that must be understood in this process: not only in terms of distribution of money and wealth, but also in term of the production of the city. One strategy that has become important for Malmö has been to highlight “green” and “environmental” parts of the urban development to get out of the “industrial crisis”. The thesis conceptualises this in terms of a “green fix”.
Theoretically the paper builds on four (related) fields of inquiry: i) urban theory, ii) dialectics, iii) crisis theory, and iv) planning and state theory. The latter two have undergone more thorough investigation, while I argue that discussions on (Marxists’) crisis theories within human geography would benefit from a broadening of the current perspective, and that urban planning should be conceptualised as a “condensation of social relations”. (Less)

This article examines a Soviet visionary architectural project from the 1960s, entitled New Element of Settlement (Novyi Element Rasselenia, NER). The best-known architectural product of post-Stalin Russia is the khrushchevka, a... more

This article examines a Soviet visionary architectural project from the 1960s, entitled New Element of Settlement (Novyi Element Rasselenia, NER). The best-known architectural product of post-Stalin Russia is the khrushchevka, a small-sized apartment in a prefabricated building, that replaced the kommunalka, a communal apartment of the previous decades. However, Soviet architecture of that period was not limited to one brand of Khrushchev Modern. It was also a time of experimentation and active searching for alternatives to mass-produced urbanity. One such alternative was the NER project which proposed a diagram for future settlements of post-industrial, non-consumerist society. In this article, I argue that this project sought not only to significantly revisit contemporary urban planning and architectural grammar, but also to reconfigure society in line with the project of de-Stalinisation and the renewed aspiration to construct communism. In particular, I show that the project relied on an original understanding of the relationship between the individual and the collective, as well as on a specific interpretation of the function of leisure under communism.

Like many other cities around the world, at the end of the twentieth century, Manchester was reimagined as post-industrial space. This research draws on Lefebvre's spatial triad focusing primarily on the struggles that this generated both... more

Like many other cities around the world, at the end of the twentieth century, Manchester was reimagined as post-industrial space. This research draws on Lefebvre's spatial triad focusing primarily on the struggles that this generated both within official public sector representations of space and between public sector representations and the representations of key amenity societies. The paper presents the findings of a case study analysis that reveals how the 1970s saw differing interests lay claim to the right to determine the spatial meaning and future of city-centre industrial space. The research deconstructs the (re)production of the Grade I listed Liverpool Road Station, the first train station in the world, and its conversion into the successful Museum of Science and Industry. The conclusions show that the 1970s (re)presentation of the station site facilitated its (re)production as a site of revalorised industrial heritage. The consequences were the “rediscovery” of the Castlefield area of the city, and the later reimagining of post-industrial Manchester in the 1990s, which continues in the twenty-first century.
. . . countries in the throes of rapid development blithely destroy historic
spaces—houses, palaces, military and civil structures. If advantage or profit is
to be found in it, then the old is swept away . . . Where the destruction has not
been complete, “renovation” becomes the order of the day . . . In any case what
had been annihilated in the earlier frenzy now becomes an object of adoration.
(Lefebvre, 1991, p. 360).

The threat of climate change has focused attention on those environments with high capacity for carbon storage. Peatlands are one such environment in that they both sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and are also a major store of carbon.... more

The threat of climate change has focused attention on those environments with high capacity for carbon storage. Peatlands are one such environment in that they both sequester CO2 from the atmosphere and are also a major store of carbon. However, the world’s peatlands are everywhere under threat. This includes in Ireland where, while still a feature of many rural areas, less than third of the country’s original area of peatland remains intact. The sustainable management of the remaining peatland necessitates an action plan including the evidence by which to evaluate choices. It also requires an articulation of a vision for peatland in the decades to come. In this respect, peatlands are an environmental asset, but also a social and economic resource. Any framework for their management and restoration must be able to deal with the social and political decision making process and demonstrate a respect for the diverse range of public and private goods that peatlands provide.

This chapter examines the way in which industrial landscapes have been perceived throughout the post-medieval period, and explores the effect on current research and conservation of prevailing attitudes to ‘landscape archaeology’ and... more

This chapter examines the way in which industrial landscapes have been perceived throughout the post-medieval period, and explores the effect on current research and conservation of prevailing attitudes to ‘landscape archaeology’ and ‘industrial archaeology’. Using a variety of examples, it is argued that industrial landscapes should be seen as neither urban nor rural but as entirely separate entities incorporating elements of both. Existing ways of looking at rural or urban landscapes are therefore inadequate for the technological, social and cultural complexities represented by industrial landscapes. One key theme that can be drawn out from the study of industrial landscapes is that of identity, and particular emphasis is given to investigating the ways in which industrial landscapes have given rise to specifically English identities.

The paper presents the industrial heritage and cultural heritage concepts from the relationships established between the social and economic life from the perspective of the industrial landscape and the development of organizational... more

The paper presents the industrial heritage and cultural heritage concepts from the relationships established between the social and economic life from the perspective of the industrial landscape and the development of organizational landscapes. The cultural landscape is conceived from an integrated view of society and business from an endless web of interconnections that converge in the heritage and culture concepts. The relations established fall aspects of cultural and social memory
and approach these concepts, providing them with an interdisciplinary characteristics.
It is necessary to highlight a "specific" social-industrial landscape that determines its own identity and makes possible to know a region, a geographic space and time experienced from their surroundings and helps us understand the transformations and reflections of the conditions of life and work of individuals.
Moreover, its describe factors particular of the construction of memory, identity and culture to explain social issues, expectations and limitations of a particular contemporary society. The intertwining of the history, memory and culture concepts and organization is a possibility of understanding the work relationships and society, intertwined by the socio-economic and cultural consequences.
Social life, buildings and urban development of cities and society can not be seen independence and disconnected. The various relationships established between society and industry organizations (or you could say firms) determine prospects for (re)construct the concepts of heritage and culture that
are beyond the general concepts and issues addressed to the culture. Social memory and national culture, the same regional or local, are determined by the relations between business and society.
The social imaginary is often understood by the perception of social groups, individuals and presents as his identity and personal and social memory.
The development of the central business around influences the formation and development of cities and is understood as one of the main factors of social aggregation and cultural training centers in establishing company-community relations. Search for share of social needs determines peculiarities and special relations between employees, companies, between individual and society. With them are triggered by various social elements: the villas operators, leisure facilities (cinemas, theaters, radios,
sports clubs and others) or any social activities that constitute the life of employees and their families.
The development of cities will determine the growth and accelerating urbanization, cultural and social education from the perspective of the company that can reconstruct and rebuild part of social memory and identity in society.

Il quaderno pone l’attenzione sui territori improduttivi, in particolare sulle aree coinvolte dalla più recente industrializzazione affidata alle piccole e medie imprese localizzate prevalentemente nel Nord-Est e nel centro Italia che,... more

Il quaderno pone l’attenzione sui territori improduttivi, in particolare sulle aree coinvolte dalla più recente industrializzazione affidata alle piccole e medie imprese localizzate prevalentemente nel Nord-Est e nel centro Italia che, per via della crisi economica, hanno interrotto le loro attività. Sono i capannoni proliferanti del capitalismo molecolare a costituire l’oggetto della trattazione, manufatti anonimi che hanno consumato suolo, opere edilizie realizzate in tempi brevi per far fronte ad una domanda in alcuni casi reale e in molti altri solo presunta, alimentata dalla speculazione edilizia.
Il caso adriatico, e in modo specifico i distretti produttivi nelle aree di fondovalle, viene messo a confronto con i distretti produttivi del territorio veneto. I casi studio offrono spunti di riflessione su cui fondare nuove teorie e delineare strategie di progetto finalizzate al riciclo dei capannoni puntando al superamento della zonizzazione industriale, al riequilibrio dell’assetto morfologico del territorio, dunque alla prefigurazione di un nuovo paesaggio.

The aim of this article is checking the possibility of attributing features of the vital city i.e. territorially creative actions leading to integration and sustainable development for the local community, the space and the economy of... more

The aim of this article is checking the possibility of attributing features of the vital city i.e. territorially creative actions leading to integration and sustainable development for the local community, the space and the economy of Katowice, for areas intended the revitalization in 2016–2022. There will be presented to the possibility of leading out degraded areas from a crisis situation, where there is a strong concentration of negative social phenomena and spatial problems in particular districts of the city.
Using the GIS tools, the location of areas defined as degraded in the Local Revitalization Programme of the city of Katowice and post-industrial areas made available in the Public Information Platform “Post-industrial and degraded areas” will be analyzed in order to identify common areas of space.

Here I outline some new thinking regarding Lefebvre's concepts of differential space and the right to the city. The previous empirically orientated chapters in the book point to the potential of differential space but have so far left its... more

Here I outline some new thinking regarding Lefebvre's concepts of differential space and the right to the city. The previous empirically orientated chapters in the book point to the potential of differential space but have so far left its nature and processes of production unexplored. Following Goonewardena et al (2008: 13) who argue for the need to take Lefebvre's spatial triad and the production of space ideas as a point of departure and Merrifield (2011) who urges us to go beyond Lefebvre, this chapter seeks to do just that. It does so by incorporating a fusion of differential space and right to the city ideas into contemporary contexts and grounded empirical case studies in the three cities which are the focus of this book. What follows is firstly, a conceptual discussion of the nature of the right to the city and its relationship with differential space. In the discussion below I focus on the ludic aspects and politicised appropriation characteristics of differential space. Secondly, is an analysis and discussion of case study empirical research, which argues that, inadvertently the potential for differential space was created through various heritage-led beautification and urban regeneration schemes

Cities are the height of human achievement. Cities are fraught with ambivalence. We adore city life, it stimulates, entertains and excites. Conversely, urban experiences are scary, disorientating and may be physically and mentally... more

Cities are the height of human achievement. Cities are fraught with ambivalence. We adore city life, it stimulates, entertains and excites. Conversely, urban experiences are scary, disorientating and may be physically and mentally deleterious. Cities are crucibles of democracy, yet remain cauldrons of inequality and injustice. Cities are open and tolerant, but perversely elitist and exclusionary. City streets provide unexpected encounters which can enrich our lives, or disturb deeply. Ambivalence regarding the nascent modern industrial city was captured quintessentially in the visceral eloquence of Alexis de Tocqueville's disturbingly ambivalent assertion, that 1840s Manchester was a vile, filthy cesspit from which flows pure gold, thereby allowing the attainment of civilisation while converting men of all ranks into desperate savages. Above all, it is in the public spaces of cities – street, squares, piazzas, plazas and parks - that some of the best and the worst characteristics of urban life and society are created, observed and reproduced. These sites are the geographical focus of this book and are interrogated drawing on the spatial triad ideas promulgated by the French, Marxist, sociologist-philosopher Henri Lefebvre. Looking at history in a new light in this book means exploring the histories of shifting representations of space and ascertaining the implications for the production of space and what Lefebvre called differential spaceI seek in this book to explore the production of space and in so doing stimulate a rethinking of Lefebvre’s spatial theories and the essence of urban public space. From this overarching aim flow two research objectives: 1) to tease out the implications of the production of space for post-industrial city transformation, 2) to unravel the role of differential space in such transformation. Empirically the research is grounded in three iconic post-industrial cities: Vancouver, Lowell Massachusetts and Manchester England. Although strongly rooted theoretically, the book locates the conceptual ideas in the practice of urban policy making, urban planning and the politicised everyday use of public space, especially differential space – a surprisingly neglected concept in urban studies. The timescale is from the 1960s to 2010s.

This article explores some of the visual imagery that has emerged from the process of deindustrialisation. It seeks to understand the similarities and differences between photography of industrial decline collected in book format in both... more

This article explores some of the visual imagery that has emerged from the process of deindustrialisation. It seeks to understand the similarities and differences between photography of industrial decline collected in book format in both North America and Europe and the critics of this genre. It makes sense of the value and meaning of this publishing trend and what it says about its market. While it would be easy to dismiss this material as ‘simply nostalgic’, representing another manifestation of ‘smokestack nostalgia’ this article suggests that we need a more nuanced account which asks questions about the continuing desire to reflect back and find value in the industrial past. In so doing it makes a contribution to a wider critical account of the role of cultural approaches in interpreting industrial change and working class history.
Key Words: deindustrialization; nostalgia; industrial work; representation; working class culture

In this paper the authors attempt to answer the question of which location and site-specific factors have a decisive influence on the successful regeneration of brownfields. Using data from the South Moravian Region (Czech Republic), we... more

In this paper the authors attempt to answer the question of which location and site-specific factors have a decisive influence on the successful regeneration of brownfields. Using data from the South Moravian Region (Czech Republic), we analyze the spatial and functional distribution of brownfields, and test the correlation between the development potential of municipalities and the distribution of the brownfields that have already been regenerated. We then compare the structure and characteristics of existing and regenerated brownfields to identify significant drivers and barriers in the regeneration process. The findings indicate that regenerated brownfields are more likely located in municipalities with a higher local development potential (represented by the rate of local business activities, spatial peripherality –proximity to the regional centre and the main road network, and the quality of local infrastructure). It is also demonstrated that the large size of brownfields, their previous industrial use and the existence of contamination are not determinative barriers for regeneration if the brownfields are located in attractive areas and their ownership relations are not complicated.

Buildings and Remnants is an essay-project looking at post-industrial spaces through diverse conditions of buildings and materials. The project´s most immediate aim is to commission a group of readings of Guimarães and Vale do Ave in... more

Buildings and Remnants is an essay-project looking at post-industrial spaces through diverse conditions of buildings and materials. The project´s most immediate aim is to commission a group of readings of Guimarães and Vale do Ave in Portugal, departing from ASA factory, and amplifying it with other locations and wider concerns in Europe. It is an experimental project, playing with different findings, archives and visual formats, articulating several fields of knowledge, so to essay a multidisciplinary reflection on post-industrial spaces and buildings.
https://www.incm.pt/portal/loja_detalhe.jsp?codigo=102376

Many landscapes are severely depleted of ecosystem services, especially industrial ones. Yet, abandoned and, in some cases, regenerating areas are often situated within a wider cultural landscape. With minimal further disturbance these... more

Many landscapes are severely depleted of ecosystem services, especially industrial ones. Yet, abandoned and, in some cases, regenerating areas are often situated within a wider cultural landscape. With minimal further disturbance these ‘novel ecosystems’ have the potential for recovering some of the ecosystem services that were removed or impeded during and after human management activities, especially cultural services. Novel ecosystems are anthropogenic landscapes that cannot be returned to their original ecological status. However, some novel ecosystems may provide ecosystem services that were minimal or perhaps absent from their original form. This presents a dilemma for policy makers and planners, who now strive to meet societal expectations to restore ecosystems and recapture lost services. It is especially poignant when seeking to develop policy prescriptions that operationalise cultural ecosystem services into planning and design. Little is known of the potential for drawing on a novel ecosystem framework when developing prescriptions for these planners and policy makers. This short communication re-visits earlier social–ecological research in a post-industrial landscape to illustrate how a novel ecosystem may offer insight into operationalising ecosystem service policies in damaged and recovering landscapes. Because novel ecosystems have stimulated debate and disagreement among ecologists, this paper offers a new perspective on the issue. Drawing on research into post-industrial peatlands, this paper identifies a timeline for the recovery of some ecosystem services in novel ecosystems, including some that were absent from their original state.

The Leslie Street Spit is a five kilometre rubble breakwater on the eastern waterfront of Toronto. Built during the mid-twentieth-century as an infrastructural add-on to the existing Port Lands Industrial District, the artificial... more

The Leslie Street Spit is a five kilometre rubble breakwater on the eastern waterfront of Toronto. Built during the mid-twentieth-century as an infrastructural add-on to the existing Port Lands Industrial District, the artificial peninsula was a lakefilling project made to realize the city’s ambitious desire for economic prosperity and world-class prestige by expanding its existing harbour facilities. With the decline of Toronto’s shipping industry, the Leslie Spit remained an active dump site for urban clean fill until it was unexpectedly colonized by flora and fauna during the 1970s. The site is now recognized as an important local and international environmental resource. Visitors to the Leslie Spit experience a diverse landscape of ecosystems and industrial rubble helded by the city as a symbol of environmental revival within a former industrial region undergoing another phase of urbanization. While the local aesthetic experience of the headland is pleasurable and aligns with the reinvention of Toronto as am environmentally conscious and sustainable city, human visitors remain psychologically and physically removed from the inhabiting non-human life. Occasionally, the desire to conserve and preserve the natural world requires a separation between humans and non-humans. This relationship is carried out in varying degrees on the Leslie Spit. This thesis documents events at the headland where the human/non-human divide is rigidly enforced or left ambiguous. The purpose of the thesis is not to treat the headland as an eccentric spectacle, but to investigate the unexpected coexistence between humans and non-humans.

History is not anymore the prerogative of historians, nor is displaying heritage the exclusive privilege of museum curators. In the digital era, local interconnected amateurs commit themselves to the cultural circuit of heritage through... more

History is not anymore the prerogative of historians, nor is displaying heritage the exclusive privilege of museum curators. In the digital era, local interconnected amateurs commit themselves to the cultural circuit of heritage through the mediation of globalised images. In that circuit, heritage and social memory take a particular form: as resources for tourism and trade, but also resources for collective action, social engagement and cultural production. “Ordinary people” engage in playful leisure such as genealogy, local history, photography, walking, exploring, surfing on the Internet, self-publishing, etc. As do-it-yourself hobbies associating offline and online practices, these hedonist activities, which blend production and consumption, creation and transmission, tend to redraw heritage communities. What do they tell us about the change of commodity, space and time? What do they tell us about the contemporary process of heritagisation and the role of people as well as the place of institutions in it? We focus on the shifts induced by the emergence of empowered actors, the “prosumers,” who participate in various networks, institutional as well as non-institutional, combining amateurs and professionals. Their collaborative experiences lead to design spaces of inspirational actions that we highlight in the context of two post-industrial areas, Swansea (UK) and Saint-Etienne (France).