Urban vacant land in growing urbanization: An international review

doi:10.1007/s11442-020-1749-0

Abstract

Abstract:

Urban growth and shrinkage constitute the overall pattern of growing urbanization across the globe. Studies on urban vacant land (UVL) are few, and have proved to be mainly rudimentary and subjective. This paper first presents the definition of UVL based on bibliometric analysis. Typology, morphology, proximate causes, and the multiple functions of UVL are then analyzed at parcel, transect, city, and national levels based on an international review. Results show that UVL can be categorized by land cover, land usage, and land ownership. Worldwide, UVL has been widespread and extensive. For example, the occurrence probabilities of UVL in the cases of Guangzhou and New York are 8.46%-8.88% and 3.17%-5.08%, respectively. The average vacancy rate of residential land amounts to 11.48% in 65 U.S. cities. Generally, UVL shows fragmentation and irregular shape, and significant spatial differences exist at parcel, transect, city, and national levels. Proximate causes, such as excessive land division, irregularly shaped land parcels, decreases in resident population, deindustrialization, land speculation, insufficient investment, and environmental concerns, can all result in UVL. Currently, UVL has become a gray area of social, economic, and ecological space. However, it can also be considered a potential resource for enhancing urban sustainability. Policy implications to promote urban sustainability using monitoring, control, and differential revitalization of UVL are presented.

Key words: urban vacant land, urbanization, shrinking cities, land use, transition

SONG Xiaoqing, WEN Mengmeng, SHEN Yajing, FENG Qi, XIANG Jingwei, ZHANG Weina, ZHAO Guosong, WU Zhifeng. Urban vacant land in growing urbanization: An international review[J].Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2020, 30(4): 669-687.

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	Number of parcels	Area of UVL (ha)	Occurrence probability (%)
	Number of parcels	Area of UVL (ha)	Share of the number of UVL parcels to that of land parcels	Share of the area of UVL to the total land area
Wild grassland	831	845.88	4.03	3.66
Wild grass mixed with shrub and tree land	319	487.68	1.55	2.11
Bare land	341	279.35	1.65	1.21
Abandoned building mixed with wild grassland	207	201.06	1.00	0.87
Abandoned building mixed with bare land	122	131.13	0.59	0.57
Abandoned building land	12	10.93	0.06	0.05
Sum	1832	1956.02	8.88	8.46

	Number of UVL parcels	Area of UVL (ha)	Occurrence probability (%)
	Number of UVL parcels	Area of UVL (ha)	Share of the number of UVL parcels to that of land parcels	Share of the area of UVL to the total land area
Private ownership	21108	1724.90	2.46	2.94
City ownership	4965	949.44	0.58	1.62
Public authority, state or federal ownership	140	38.90	0.02	0.07
Mixed city and private ownership	26	52.06	0.00	0.09
Other ownership which excludes land with the above ownerships	915	212.76	0.11	0.36
Sum	27154	2978.06	3.17	5.08

Districts		New York City	Manhattan	Bronx	Brooklyn	Queens	Staten Island
Occurrence probability	Share of the number of the vacant parcels to that of the whole city (%)	3.17	2.72	4.48	2.45	2.53	5.65
Occurrence probability	Share of the area of the vacant parcels to that of the whole city (%)	5.08	2.06	2.97	2.48	2.53	14.40
Mean area of UVL (ha)		0.11	0.075	0.060	0.048	0.073	0.247
Average shape index value of UVL		1.46	1.50	1.46	1.46	1.49	1.38

District	Number of UVL parcels	Area of UVL (ha)	Mean area of UVL parcel (ha)	Occurrence probability (%)		Average shape index value
District	Number of UVL parcels	Area of UVL (ha)	Mean area of UVL parcel (ha)	Share of the number of the vacant parcels to that of the whole city	Share of the area of the vacant parcels to that of the whole city	Average shape index value
Transect 1	83	54.17	0.65	3.75	2.49	1.45
Transect 2	144	176.11	1.22	3.88	4.90	1.46
Transect 3	484	597.40	1.23	11.03	9.94	1.48
Transect 4	456	536.47	1.18	12.09	10.84	1.37
Transect 5	413	361.31	0.87	10.19	9.49	1.31
Transect 6	252	230.55	0.91	10.06	8.89	1.27
Total	1832	1956.02	1.07	8.88	8.46	1.39