Cyclical City: Five Stories of Urban Transformation

Cities are constantly evolving, and as resources shift, abandoned spaces within them are often left fallow and forgotten. Jill Desimini's book "Cyclical City" explores the stories behind these sites and argues that spatial design practice can transform these abandoned landscapes into vibrant, usable spaces. She promotes approaches that leverage the specific affordances of the land, emphasize cyclical change, and take into account the cultural, political, and physical context. The book explores these themes in five cities across centuries, from periods of upheaval to stability and economic growth, and considers how landscape-driven design can help cities that are losing people and resources.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 30 March 2022
Publisher: University of Virginia Press

Cities are constantly evolving, and as resources shift and change over time, spaces within these cities often become abandoned and neglected. "Cyclical City" delves into the stories behind these abandoned sites, exploring examples such as Philadelphia's Liberty Lands park and Lisbon's Green Plan. The book examines how these narratives can be leveraged to encourage future engagement and utilization of these spaces. Jill Desimini, a spatial designer, emphasizes the crucial role of design practice in transforming abandoned urban landscapes over time. She advocates for approaches that prioritize the unique characteristics of the land, including its hydrology, vegetation, topography, geology, infrastructural capacity, and potential for occupation. Desimini also highlights the importance of cyclical change and the specific cultural, political, and physical contexts that shape these landscapes. The book explores these themes in five cities, spanning centuries from periods of great upheaval to relative stability and even economic growth. Desimini examines the potential benefits of landscape-driven design in cities experiencing population loss and economic decline, explores ways to make design practice more inclusive in contexts of market failure, and proposes how abandoned landscapes can be transformed into shared public spaces.

Cities are constantly evolving, and as resources shift and change over time, spaces within these cities often become abandoned and neglected. "Cyclical City" delves into the stories behind these abandoned sites, exploring examples such as Philadelphia's Liberty Lands park and Lisbon's Green Plan. The book examines how these narratives can be leveraged to encourage future engagement and utilization of these spaces. Jill Desimini, a spatial designer, emphasizes the crucial role of design practice in transforming abandoned urban landscapes over time. She advocates for approaches that prioritize the unique characteristics of the land, including its hydrology, vegetation, topography, geology, infrastructural capacity, and potential for occupation. Desimini also highlights the importance of cyclical change and the specific cultural, political, and physical contexts that shape these landscapes. The book explores these themes in five cities, spanning centuries from periods of great upheaval to relative stability and even economic growth. Desimini examines the potential benefits of landscape-driven design in cities experiencing population loss and economic decline, explores ways to make design practice more inclusive in contexts of market failure, and proposes how abandoned landscapes can be transformed into shared public spaces.

Dimension: 254 x 216 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780813946320