No abstract

There is much debate today over the problem of unused buildings. This debate is often conducted in alarmed and concerned tones. Our idea is that it is indispensable to reconsider the issue with greater critical reflection and some necessary distinctions: in particular, between situations and aspects relating to public buildings and situations and aspects relating to private buildings; and, within the latter category, between totally natural and legitimate situations and truly problematic ones. To this end, we shall focus on definitory issues, quantitative issues, ethical issues and policy issues. We shall do so with particular attention to the Italian situation, which we believe is especially challenging, and to a specific case study, the city of Milan. However, part of what we shall say also applies to other contexts.

These concluding remarks are divided into three parts. The first part is an overview of the findings. The second part proposes a new outlook on "abandonment": a dynamic/evolutionary approach suggesting that abandonment is a potential state of any type of (private) property. In this view, abandonment is not a purely and intrinsically negative phenomenon, but something that can also be an opportunity for critical imagination and creative action. The third part focuses on the limitations of the study and possible future research lines.Keywords Dynamic processes • Evolutionary approach • Urban systems • Change OverviewChapter 1 suggests the idea that abandonment should be understood as a social fact and not as a brute fact (Searle 1995). Thus, in this work the "abandoned" state of buildings is considered as not directly related to certain physical variables; rather, it entirely depends on human evaluations. Crucial information in this regard is how institutional frameworks-sets of rules of conduct-influence individual behaviour and actions through time.In Chap. 2, the theoretical framework is presented. Three contributions to the debate are: the distinction between brute and social facts and that between agentive and non-agentive functions; these two combined with the idea of pragmatic duty provide a new understanding of the abandonment problem and relative implications. In light of this, in Chap. 3 an analytical schema-based on parameters, factors, reasons, policies-has been built to interpret the phenomenon of abandonment and possible ways of intervening. The neo-institutional approach helps to highlight how the problem of abandonment is articulated with respect to various aspects influencing urban transformations, e.g. property rights, formal constraints, arguments behind policy decisions, intervention strategies and implementations.In Chap. 4, the analytical schema was used to propose some ideas and critical hypotheses on the descriptive and evaluative aspects of the phenomenon of abandonment. It seems impossible to define a single factor able to explain the abandoned state

No abstract

SpringerBriefs in Geography presents concise summaries of cutting-edge research and practical applications across the fields of physical, environmental and human geography. It publishes compact refereed monographs under the editorial supervision of an international advisory board with the aim to publish 8 to 12 weeks after acceptance. Volumes are compact, 50 to 125 pages, with a clear focus. The series covers a range of content from professional to academic such as: timely reports of state-of-the art analytical techniques, bridges between new research results, snapshots of hot and/or emerging topics, elaborated thesis, literature reviews, and in-depth case studies.The scope of the series spans the entire field of geography, with a view to significantly advance research. The character of the series is international and multidisciplinary and will include research areas such as: GIS/cartography, remote sensing, geographical education, geospatial analysis, techniques and modeling, landscape/regional and urban planning, economic geography, housing and the built environment, and quantitative geography. Volumes in this series may analyze past, present and/or future trends, as well as their determinants and consequences. Both solicited and unsolicited manuscripts are considered for publication in this series.SpringerBriefs in Geography will be of interest to a wide range of individuals with interests in physical, environmental and human geography as well as for researchers from allied disciplines.More information about this series at https://link.springer.com/bookseries/10050