Abstract

BRITO-HENRIQUES, Eduardo; MORGADO, Paulo  and  CRUZ, David. Morphology of the perforated city: spatial patterns of ruins and vacant land in portuguese cities. Finisterra [online]. 2018, n.108, pp.111-133. ISSN 0430-5027.  https://doi.org/10.18055/Finis12160.

This paper aims to analyse the consequences of urban shrinkage in city form, producing the so-called ‘perforated city’. It is based on an inventory of 'perforations' in the urban fabric generated by abandonment - i.e., ruins and vacant land - in four shrinking Portuguese cities. The results show that ruins and vacant land are common in the four cities. In total, 7.8% of the urban area corresponds to ‘perforations’. In some cities, the proportion reaches 32%. The study also demonstrates that the ‘perforations’ tend to occur in a scattered and somewhat aleatory manner in the cities, in both central and peripheral positions. Albeit, the incidence and spatial position of ruins and vacancies appear to vary depending on if the city is more or less compact, and on the degree and temporality of shrinkage.

Keywords : Dereliction; ruination; vacant land; urban shrinkage; urban morphology.

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