Urban voids: a new definition

Abstract

The objective of this study is to contribute a new de nition of urban voids to the urbanism discipline. Given that the future of cities will have to be resolved on their current areas in the coming decades, it is considered of relevant interest to analyze the role that these spaces can play in future urban development. The research begins with the de nition of the concept of the periphery of cities as the physical space where the urban phenomena under study are produced. The contributions of various authors who have worked and developed terms that can be applied to urban voids, such as boundaries, edges or borders, were used as a reference, analyzed, compared and related in order to specify the terms and obtain a broader view of the existing knowledge to date on the concept of “urban voids”. In this way, it was possible to develop a de nition that integrates all the dimensions that each of the authors contributes, and leads to the opening of possibilities and perspectives for the development of the urban fabric, thus transitioning the understanding of urban voids from receptacles of traditional urbanization processes to supporting elements of peri-urban environments within the framework of a sustainable contemporary city.