Urban Voids with Nature-Based Solutions for Interaction of Social & Built Environment: Case Study of Hayatabad

Abstract

This study was conducted to address one of the most common and very important aspects of urban dwellings named as the urban leftover spaces. These urban voids, usually considered as negative spaces, have great potential of being transformed into sustainable urban green, common neighborhood spaces. Primary objective of the study was to explore this hidden potential of these urban voids systematically and to strategize their transformation into livable and robust shared open spaces which may play the role of catalysts to bring the communities closer together. Design of the study was retrospective-prospective, supported by a series of local and international case studies. Procedure of the study included transforming urban voids into sustainable open space through meticulous design interventions. The outcomes of this study helped in not only setting a prototype for similar transformations in the future, but also provided guidelines for prospective researchers and development control authorities.