IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

Appearing as a result of urbanization and rapid urban development, leftover spaces have often been described as neglected or informal voids negatively influencing the existing urban fabric. However, these spaces in recent years have been identified as having potential social and environmental benefits, particularly at the neighbourhood scale, which typically goes unnoticed and unexplored. Thus, this study explored how residents perceived urban leftover spaces occurring within the context of their neighbourhoods in the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka. Initially, a projective mapping exercise among residents identified existing leftover spaces within several neighbourhoods. The residents were then probed through qualitative interviews to reveal how they defined and engaged with these spaces. Four spaces of varying typologies that were more frequently discussed were content analyzed. The findings showed that these spaces were considered leftover owing to uncertainties pertaining to their development and a lack of visible maintenance, thereby encouraging informal use of the open space. Some of these uses were considered inappropriate due to concerns about cleanliness and safety and the negative influence on visual quality. However, the presence of vegetation was positively perceived. Future proposals by the residents were predominantly focused on providing community recreational spaces while also addressing urban green space requirements. These results inform a bottom-up understanding of such spaces within this context to allow for a participatory approach in their future treatment as potential neighbourhood open spaces.