URBAN VOIDS AS POTENTIOAL RESOURCES FOR THE CITY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Recently, many cities suffer from urban development problems due to rapid urbanization, population growth and economic crisis which affect quality of life in the city. On the other hand there are many urban voids in these cities that formed because of many natural, historical, and economic factors. These unused urban voids introduce complicated negative impacts on the communities and the urban fabric that it exists in. Despite of the negative effect of the urban voids on the city, it provides great opportunities for urban development and considered as potential resources for redevelopment the city. It can achieve by utilizing the urban voids by programs of reuse that integrated with the development objectives of the city. The research aims to understand the meaning of urban voids and its formations and highlight the importance of the urban voids as potential resources for development the city. The research also determines the urban voids values which are identified as; environmental value, social value, economic value, historical cultural value and aesthetic value. Also, through the theoretical study and the lessons learned from analysis international examples, the research develops a framework to help planners and designers to improve the ways of re-using urban voids to maximize their utilization. The research concludes that the urban voids should be well managed to maximize its effectiveness and decrease any negative effect. In addition, effective re-use of urban voids requires integrate these voids as a part of the urban fabric and cooperation between all stakeholders who involved in the development process.