1.2.3 Architectural opportunity Derelict spaces provide an opportunity for architecture, amongst other professions, to regenerate or grow the space back into the urban fabric through an effective reuse programme that can create new growth opportunities for individuals and the city fabric socially, economically and culturally. Additionally, a programme that focuses on social sustainability enhances the connections between users and the surroundings through reactive and interactive architecture that reflects human interests. According to Buser and Koch (2014), social sustainability happens when formal and informal processes, institutions, structures and connections actively promote current and future generations’ abilities to establish healthy and liveable communities.
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Furthermore, derelict spaces provide an opportunity for architecture to act as a catalyst for rediscovering past histories and identities, both tangible and intangible, through economic, social, political and cultural circumstances.
Fig 2: Loss of identity in the urban fabric. (By author, 2021)
