Faced with the growing demand for nature in cities, informal greenspaces are gaining the interest of various stakeholders - residents, associations, public authorities - as well as scientists. This book provides a cross-sectorial overview of the advantages and disadvantages of urban wastelands in meeting this social demand of urban nature, spanning from the social sciences and urban planning to ecology and soil sciences. It shows the potential of urban wastelands with respect to city dwellers’ well-being, environmental education, urban biodiversity and urban green networks as well as concerns regarding urban wastelands’ in relation to conflicts, and urban marketing. The authors provide a global insight through case studies in nine countries, mainly located in Europe, Asia and America, thus offering a broad perspective.

Contents

• Urban Wastelands as a Form of Urban Nature : An Introduction - Francesca Di Pietro, Amélie Robert

Part I - Urban Wastelands as Biodiversity Hotspots

• Urban Wastelands Can Be Amazing Reservoirs of Biodiversity for Cities - Nathalie Machon

• Natural Transformation of Post-industrial Lands : Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ (USA) - Frank J. Gallagher

• Strategies for Increasing Biodiversity Conservation in Cities Using Wastelands : Review and Case Study - Michael L. McKinney

• Urban Wastelands’ Contribution to Ecological Connectivity - Marion Brun, Francesca Di Pietro

• Wasteland, a Refuge for Biodiversity, for Humanity - Audrey Muratet, Myr Muratet, Marie Pellaton, Marion Brun, Mathilde Baude, Assaf Shwartz et al.

Part II - Urban Wastelands as Biodiversity HotspotsNature and People : Uses and Perceptions of Urban Wastelands

• Dwelling in an Urban Wasteland : Struggles for Resources - Cécile Mattoug

• Long-Standing Wastelands - Stela Muçi, Franck Dorso

• Let It Grow ? Social Representations of Nature on Contaminated Brownfields - Marjorie Tendero, Cécile Bazart

• Getting to Know Urban Wasteland - A Look at Vacant Lands as Urban Green Space in Japan - Minseo Kim, Christoph D. D. Rupprecht

• Wastelands at Port-City Interfaces. The Search for Water Spaces to Evade the Constant Hustle and Bustle of City Life - Kristel Mazy

Part III - Planning Nature With Urban Wastelands

• The Regeneration of Urban Riverbanks : A Dilemma Between Environmental and Social Issues - Jean-Paul Carrière, Stuart Farthing

• Renaturation and Ecosystem Services of Contaminated Urban Wastelands in France - Yves Petit-Berghem, Elisabeth Rémy, Marine Canavese

• Approaches to Developing Urban Wastelands as Elements of Green Infrastructure - Juliane Mathey, Stefanie Rößler

• From Isolated Wastelands to Informal Open Spaces Connected to a Metropolitan Park System - Séréna Vanbutsele

• Becoming Urban Wastelands - Laura Verdelli, Geeva Chandana Balasubramanian, Rukkumany R. Harishankar

• Unscripted Spaces. Urban Green Space and Terrains Vagues in Historical Perspective. Antwerp (Belgium) c. 1900 - Bart Tritsmans

Conclusion

• Anthropocene Wastelands : From the Margins to the Center - Rémi Beau

• Afterword : How to Treat Urban Wastelands as a Form of Nature ? - Francesca Di Pietro, Amélie Robert