Exploring the social and sustainable potential of underused spaces in cities
The project presents a critical reading of the underutilised spaces – or leftovers – of today’s city and investigates a model of urban densification that is conceived to support local communities and their economies. Using the neighbourhood of Nordvest, Copenhagen as a case study, 200 leftovers has been mapped out and sixteen low-impact designs conceptualised. The entire vision aims to offer a replicable design framework which can be implemented through locally driven initiatives.
Local
Denmark
{Empty}
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
The Grafted City is a research project that identifies and provides low-impact design solutions for underutilised and leftover spaces in cities. The goal is to create an ecosystem of places that can strengthen local communities, their economies, and their emerging dynamic lifestyles.
Using Copenhagen as a case study, the project demonstrates the abundance and unexpected spatial quality of these underused spaces and their crucial role in sustainable urban development. Furthermore, the design approach highlights how small, lightweight and reversable interventions can be adopted as very flexible tools to support fast changing needs.
The project is divided in two parts: mapping leftovers and exploring design solutions.
1. Mapping: An initial mapping of more than 200 underused spaces was carried out in spring 2022, using Copenhagen's Nordvest district as a pilot case. The mapping analysed an area of about 2 Km², with a density of approximately 6000 inhabitants/Km². Nine typologies of leftovers were identified and an incredible area of 20,000/25,000 m² was found to be usable for the project.
2. Exploring: Sixteen concepts have been generated and presented as a preliminary catalogue of possible interventions and strategies. These interventions are grouped into four categories that represent four of the most important challenges facing our cities and communities in the years ahead: A - Spaces for no-human inhabitants and ecosystems; B - Spaces for food production and local distribution; C - Spaces for cultural activities and local; D - Spaces for sustainable use and reuse of materials.
In this first phase, the project did not focus on detailed design solutions (although sixteen of them are sketched), but rather focused on the overall vision and its validation through on-site analysis and real case mapping. The entire project is intended as a replicable design approach, which can be implemented through local-driven engagements.
Residual spaces
Leftovers
Urban regeneration
Local communities
Climate resilience
Key sustainable objectives are embedded in the very idea of how the city is interpreted in the Grafted City vision. Specifically, the main focuses are: reclaim of leftover corners to leverage the existing fabric with a perspective of densification, activation of local economies and exchange processes, low-impact and flexible interventions.
The objective of identifying and revalorizing leftover corners has been addressed through on-site mapping of a pilot area of approximately 2 km² with typical characteristics of European cities. Over 200 leftovers were identified and categorized with qualitative and quantitative analysis to understand their actual potential.
Activation of local economies and exchange processes is achieved through the definition of four categories as design drivers - Spaces for no-human inhabitants and ecosystems, Spaces for food production and local distribution, Spaces for cultural activities and local, Spaces for sustainable use and reuse of materials. These categories are fundamental for developing places that can respond to local needs and arising challenges. In addition, the framework for implementing the project includes dialogue with communities and local-driven co-design.
Low-impact and flexible interventions are ensured through the following principles: the use of lightweight and reversible structures to provide super-adaptable systems; the use of reclaimed materials where possible, wood or bio-based solutions where it is not; and the use of simple building systems and low maintenance strategies; involvement of local manufacturing.
A key aspect across the entire project is the strong belief that small and low-impact interventions can truly contribute to a sustainable densification of the urban fabric and provide valuable social spaces.
The aesthetics of the interventions are driven by two main factors: the unique spatial condition of the residual spaces and the use of lightweight reversible materials and systems.
The first, related to the unique spatial conditions of residual spaces returns characteristic and unique interventions that in some cases can prove to be new landmarks within the city (for example proposed interventions on blank walls, A1, B2, B3, C1, D3)* or completely integrated (green buffers and residual areas, A3, B4, C3). The particular location of these places is also capable of unlocking new perspectives on the city (for example the interventions related to roofs or gaps in-between buildings, B3, C1, C4).
The second, related to the use of lightweight, reversible, and often temporary structures creates an architectural language that breaks away from the solidity of typical city blocks, giving the interventions a light and ephemeral trait. It is precisely this trait that is thought to resonate as friendly to communities and create a direct relationship with the structures in that they can be directly understood, maintained, and sometimes built by communities.
Following these two factors, interventions can establish themselves as recognizable and accessible key points in the neighbourhoods and in the urban landscape of the future city.
*Codes are used to identify the sixteen proposals. The letter indicates the category while the number refers to the specific proposal.
In terms of inclusion, one of the main objectives of the project is to align places of sustainable development with places of social inclusion.
To achieve this, proposals like the Skyline Community centre (C1) or the Upcycling stores for community (D1), include accessible open spaces designed with a focus to activate exchange processes within the neighbourhood and become places of social interaction. Other proposal such as the Garden with insect resorts (A3) or the Edible buffer with informative tags (B4), focus more on giving back accessible spaces for restoration and connection with biodiversity.
All interventions are conceived as completely public or managed by local communities.
The Grafted City concept changes the way citizens and local actors perceive their city and the spaces within it. Being able to identify spatial opportunities within a built fabric is a tool that triggers new perspectives and concrete actions. The intent of the project is precisely to facilitate this vision and encourage citizens and municipalities to take ownership of their urban spaces.
Through these interventions, and future stakeholders’ engagement, many square meters can be returned to the public, and it is up to the community to determine which interventions will have the most positive impact on the neighbourhood (starting from the developed catalogue as a baseline).
Although the project is still in its early stages and it has not yet directly involved different stakeholders in its development, it has drawn inspiration from previous work in areas such as design, co-design, and urban space revitalization (for example: Piazze Aperte by City of Milan, A8erna in Amsterdam, El Campo de Cebada in Madrid, Japanese infill building culture and many others).
Looking at the future, it is important to note that the involvement of various stakeholders, such as universities, municipalities, and local communities, is crucial for the success of the project.
Universities can play a vital role in the development of the research by providing ideational and analytical input to the design and construction of simple and innovative methods, as well as exploring new techniques. It is essential to establish a dialogue with municipalities to understand real challenges and to share feedbacks on the vision. Finally, but most importantly, a crucial aspect is to engage with local communities to promote co-design practices and identify specific needs, using the developed catalogue of ideas as a starting point, but with the potential for iteration and adaptation.
Also, in the long run, the involvement of larger national and international actors could help in the development and communication of the Grafted City as a viable and adoptable framework across different cities, promoting workshops and cross-border knowledge sharing.
The design and development of this concept draws on various disciplines and knowledge fields, including architecture, urban design, sustainability, and landscape architecture. The concept is informed by research in these fields and is driven by an awareness of the upcoming challenges of cities such as the need for densification, the need to increase biodiversity, and the need to activate local processes to increase inclusiveness and sense of belonging.
Different proposal has been inspired by different knowledge fields. Interventions like D1, D2 and D3 are informed by circular approaches visible in some small self-sufficient communities (Christania, CPH). Proposals such as A2 or D3 are instead inspired by new technologies and materials while A1, A3, A4 and B4 are defined by local biodiversity.
In general, the Grafted City incorporates ideas from construction methods, such as lightweight construction, as a means of testing and iterating new models for sustainable construction in the built environment. Additionally, the overall concept is also informed by the idea of co-design and engagement with local communities, to ensure that the design solutions will be tailored to meet specific needs of the area.
The recent history of architecture is full of excellent examples of reusing and reactivating little-used urban spaces and returning corners of the city to citizens (mainly parkings, residual and streets). Unfortunately, all too often these interventions remain seen as lucky examples that cannot be replicated. The great opportunity of the Grafted City lies in pushing the boundary of what is understood as a leftover and seeing these interventions as a single ecosystem capable of delivering great social value.
The "Grafted City" concept is innovative in several ways when compared to mainstream actions in the field of urban design and development.
First, it focuses on residual spaces within cities, rather than on traditional areas of urban development such as new construction or redevelopment. Second, it emphasizes the use of lightweight construction methods as a means of creating flexible and adaptable spaces that can be easily modified to meet changing needs. Third, it defines a method, and it identifies some categories of leftovers that are replicable all over Europe (and beyond).
Proposals such as the Skybridge wintergarden (B3), he Pop-up inflatable theatre (C2) or the Vertical exhibition with viewpoint (C4) ( and 3 question the notion of social places by proposing new and temporary typologies. The Upcycling stores for communities (D1) or the DIY lab for self-repairing (D2), challenge the natural flow of materials by introducing places for the exchange, reuse and storage of materials and furniture on a local level.
Finally, looking at it potential development, it promotes a co-design process that involves universities, municipalities, and local communities in the implementation of designs allowing for a more holistic and locally-tailored approach to urban development, rather than top-down planning and design.
The choice of the studied area was guided by the presence of the urban city typology common to many of Europe's cities. It is therefore likely that most of the underused spaces identified can be found in very similar quantities and forms throughout Europe. Instead, the vision and methodology are theoretically replicable and transferable to any urban context worldwide. On the other hand, design methodologies must be tailored to local and technical circumstances but can still follow the guiding principles described here of lightness, ease of construction, flexibility, and reversibility.
Main challenges addressed by The Grafted City are: need for densification of urban environments; need for places to support local communities and their economies; need for fast and low-impact systems to provide spaces with a sense of belonging, increase biodiversity and usable surfaces, support local food production and reuse practices. More importantly, it provides a vision and a low-impact approach to urban development in the coming years, with a framework that is globally valid but easily tailored and locally driven.
