From Industrial to postindustrial landscapes - brownfield regeneration in shrinking cities

摘要

In last decades, the phenomenon of shrinking cities has many examples in most developed countries. Old industrialized cities of Europe have led to shrinking, in some ways similar to those in American metropolises like Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland. This is particularly the case of Eastern Europe, where the combination of post-socialist and post-fordist transformation processes led to exceptionally severe shrinkage phenomena. The shrinking city syndrome is leaving planners and city officials with, among other things, the challenge of preserving and reusing buildings with architectural and cultural interest. Derelict and contaminated industrial sites are unrealized resources for initiating urban regeneration and ecological restoration. To exemplify the importance of those spaces in the urban landscape, this presentation will analyze two industrial landscape reclamation projects realized in Portugal during the last decade (Parque Tejo-Trancao-Expo 98 and Braga Stadium-Euro 2004) and compare them with other examples from around the world. The significance of those projects to achieve a sustainable urban landscape is discussed. This presentation will show that the industrial landscape should be viewed as a resource and its recovery as an opportunity to develop new multi-functional landscapes.