The Value of Emptiness - Terrain Vague Amidst a Redeveloping Landscape

Abstract

The urban form is a landscape that is constantly in flux. Some cities grow, while others stagnate or shrink. Most urban centers, at one point, have gone through all of these conditions. During periods of growth, development is a primary focus among designers, architects and planners. In times of decline, this construction pressure can be nonexistent. In the midst of these moments of contraction, new places open up which lack their original purpose. These spatial conditions are called ruins, wastelands, derelict sites, dead zones and terrain vague. These places, now devoid of inherent purpose, gain new ones through their disuse. Through their deregulation, or lack of clear ownership, the terrain vague has the potential to accommodate more than it may have before. People, in their interaction of these vague spaces, prescribe new meaning, use and importance to them. It this moment that I believe is an intriguing urban condition that deserves greater study. There is a clear argument that the terrain vague can be put to better use. This thesis recognizes this fact but proposes alternative arguments. I see this thesis as an academic exploration, without a clear resolution, answer or finality. Through this thesis, I hope to have gained a greater understanding of how architecture and planning, rather than erase, can accommodate and embrace the design potential of the terrain vague.