Vacant Land

This book sheds light on the mechanisms at the base of formation and consolidation of vacant land in metropolitan regions, an under-debated issue of urban growth, regional science and architecture. The book adopts a kaleidoscope of different academic and practical approaches, mixing multiple perspectives that combine architectural and urban planning disciplines with more specifically economic, social and environmental aspects of the urban landscape. The book adopts a multi-disciplinary frame with the aim at reading the complexity of mechanisms and processes underlying urban growth and the formation of vacant land. Vacant land was investigated from three perspectives- architectural/design, economic/social and planning/environmental. The multiple reading frames in the book highlights further academic debate on a particularly intriguing - while less investigated - topic.

Dr. Luca Salvati obtained his PhD at the Faculty of Economics from Sapienza University of Rome, and is currently a associate professor of applied economics and staff senior researcher in the same department. His research interests are in the areas of landscape, Geographic Information Systems and morphological analysis applied to socioeconomic and environmental issues. He has conducted studies on topics of spatial planning, urban geography and economics, and sustainable development. He is also a professional expert of land degradation and desertification, climate change, soil quality and a consultant for agronomic and ecological issues for national and international research bodies and public administrations. Ioannis Konaxis, PhD in landscape architecture, is assistant professor of sustainable eco-tourism and nature conservation at the Business School of the public University of Piraeus, Greece. He teaches several classes of tourism business and economics, ecological conservation of protected areas, landscape and sustainable development. He published theoretical and applied research in sustainable tourism management in prestigious international journals and book series.

Vacant land, from urban design to environmental issues.- Settlement expansion and the formation of urban voids.- Urbanization processes and vacant land.- Local development, social relations and the 'informal' consolidation of urban voids.- Peri-urban dynamics and vacant land.