Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Detroit Mercy, 2009. / "24 April 2009". Includes bibliographical references (p. 125).

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Planning theory and practice in the United States has been dominated by a paradigm of growth; however, since the 1980s, many cities have faced prolonged population decline, prompting questions about how shrinkage is engaged as planners attempt to provide for health, safety, and welfare. This investigation surveys and compares lines of thought being used to make decisions regarding these properties, with particular emphasis on planners located within cities having dissimilar experiences of “shrinking.” Principally, it is focused on vacant and abandoned lots, which are the most immediately visible symptom of population decline and offer the greatest opportunity to reimagine urban form-and-function relationships. The investigation begins with a literature review of the causes and effects of shrinking as well as an investigation into historical research and contemporary thought on vacant land in the United States. Current reasoning supporting decisions about vacant and abandoned lots is identified through a national survey of planning professionals in fifteen cities with either stable-to-growing or shrinking populations. These are augmented by selected follow-up interviews. Both stratified sampling and matching were used to achieve a range of city characteristics and control for them across growth orientation. This approach is new in that while case studies of one or two shrinking cities have been undertaken, there has not been a national survey focused on shrinking cities and vacancy. The goal is to understand regional trends, tools, and obstacles to progress. The results indicate a range in which methods and techniques predicated on the dominant and normative growth paradigm have been both adopted or adapted for use in shrinking cities. Results suggest that concepts regarding quality of life, intentions for the future, and community goals have been reprioritized and redefined in shrinking cities. Finally, results indicate ways in which ideas regarding the built environment and the discontinuities of the urban fabric are being reconceptualized in the face of massive economic and demographic upheaval. / text

Economic and demographic decline are significant factors in the generation of brownfield land. Small brownfield sites can create negative images of neighbourhoods, attracting anti-social behaviour and having detrimental effects on communities. This deters investment, creating a downward spiral of neglect and market failure. Despite the policy emphasis placed on reuse and removing the blight associated with brownfield sites, there is a paucity of studies relating to the issue of, a) small sites and b) specifically derelict sites. This leads to a lack of reliable data and problems for the evidence base which informs the development of policy. This study explores the effects of unenumerated small scale land dereliction on cities and communities in social and economic terms. The study takes a mixed methods approach including a three-tier case study focusing on the development of the derelict land issue in Liverpool. Liverpool is considered to be the most deprived local authority in England and has experienced long term demographic decline and depression and as such has a high proportion of derelict and vacant land. Despite being the focus of a plethora of regeneration initiatives, Liverpool still has a large number of derelict sites, the majority of which are smaller than 0.25 hectares.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1997.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1997.

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For my thesis project, I have chosen to explore the exaptation of a vacant office building doomed to be demolished in Stockholm into a residential tower. This project’s focus is the investigation of the reusability of our existing built environment in a sustainable way together with diverse collective living concepts and a comparison of the value added from a deconstruction, reuse and an environmentally sound concept versus a full demolition and subsequent new construction.The paramount challenges we are facing are the changing climate and limitation of natural resources. We have to address this issue by rethinking our societal and habitational models; the way we live, how we inhabit space, how do we use resources and consume goods and especially how do we design and build our cities.

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