Urban re-use practices in contemporary cities: experiences in Europe

This Special Section explores different aspects of urban regeneration processes in Europe, focusing attention on urban reuse as a strategy for the renewal and revitalisation of city spaces. Urban reuse has revealed how historical, industrial buildings, as well as neglected infrastructures such as old railroads, viaducts, open spaces, can be adapted to new functions, meeting emerging needs of their inhabitants, as well as the market’s changing demand. The central issue of this study is: to what extent do such practices represent useful tools for urban regeneration processes, and in which way is possible to insert them into contemporary planning procedures? In answering this question, we will refer first to the theoretical concept of urban reuse, and in this field, in particular, to adapive reuse, secondly, we will focus attention on the relationship between urban reuse and urban regeneration