planning - urban exploration and dereliction

8/4/2019 Planning - Urban Exploration and Dereliction

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PEP30120 – Topics in Urban and Regional Planning

Name: Graham O'Brien

(08620164)

Examining dereliction in different urban environments and the

discussion of urban exploration.



Introduction:

The aim of this report is to examine the degree of dereliction found in modern cities and gives light

to a concept called urban exploration.

Urban exploration, or urbex as it has been called more recently, has often been associated with

many legal problems as it mostly involves entering old, abandoned buildings, of interest oftenwithout permission, in order to examine the degree of dereliction found there. The term was first

coined by the writer William Bunge during the 1970s and have evolved in many ways since its

inception. In a review of the urbex website and accompanying magazine Infiltration, Sørensen

(2007) claims that “urban exploration is actually practiced in order to experience that which has

already been destroyed or fallen into decay”.1 As a result, the topic is not within the conventional

boundaries of urban geography.

The research done on these topics will be examined using three key cities as case studies,

specifically chosen for their relevance in relation to urban dereliction: Dublin in a domestic context;

Berlin in a European context and finally Detroit in a North American context. Each of these cities

have also been chosen on the basis of the many types of changes that have taken place there over time, especially in the last fifty years. Therefore, the paper will be divided into three sections with a

conclusion and bibliography at the end.

Methodology:

The methodology of this report was done by utilising distinct skills and techniques:

Fieldwork: It is widely believed that the best way to successfully combine the aspects of both

human and urban geography is through actively visiting the area, therefore gaining an

understanding of what components are to be found in a given area. As part of the Dublin part of this

paper, I visited the Irish Architectural Archive in Merrion Square for some insights into various

stages of planning and the ways that dereliction were trying to be avoided and examined at present.

Qualitative Techniques: These were paramount to the report's completion. I contacted Dublin City

Council as part of my research to see exactly how much they could tell me about the areas in which

dereliction is happening. Unfortunately, after several attempts to contact their branch which deals

on the matter, the messages went unresponded. However, their information regarding Planning Law

was very helpful. Most of the information regarding Berlin and Detroit were online and books

found in Richview Library. The information given by urban explorers on their projects/excursions

must be taken with a slight caution as some may not give comprenhensive information towards their

subject matter. A lack of identity among the urban explorers further also throws the credibility of the

facts given into doubt.

Cartographic Skills: As part of this report, several pictures, primarily done by independant

resources, have been acquired from sources such as Abandoned Ireland and pictures from various

urban explorers and photographers. It must be noted that the majority of urban explorers do not

choose to be identified on the basis that most, if not all “infiltrations” into sites suitable for urban

exploration are illegal and may be prosecuted if the owners were to discover an unauthorised party

present on their property. These images were important to the report as they give a visual of the

environment that is to be examined and how much the landscape has been transformed (or lack

there of) over the past five decades.

1

1 Sørensen – p.89



Main Body of Report:

Part I - Dublin:

In 1963, a law was passed that made thousands people move out of the Georgian and Victorian

tenements in Dublin's city centre and outwards towards the outer suburbs that were to built in the

years that followed. The Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963 was to give the

State more powers in the implementation of social housing in the city. In the context of Georgian

social housing in the city at the time, Kearns (1982) said that “interiors were granted no safeguards,

and many were destroyed with impunity”2. This would include the demolition of buildings in some

of Dublin's well-known areas, such as Henrietta Street on the northside of the city, which became

known for housing up to several dozen people within its buildings. An example of the dereliction

that has taken place in the street can be seen on the front cover of this paper.

In the years since the passing of this Act, Dublin's city centre and connecting areas stretching out to

the suburbs have undergone massive projects of infrastructure with varying degrees of success.

Examples of this would range from apartment construction in dozens of towns in the county to the

complete modernisation of the city's Docklands area, whose costs ran into the hundreds of millionsof euros during the height of economic prosperity in the early to mid-2000s. This is in stark contrast

to the recession that hit Ireland during the 1980s, which almost rendered many blocks uninhabitable

around the city and caused development to be shelved until recovery in the decade that was to

follow. The dereliction of the old buildings, some dating back as far as the mid-eighteenth century

has been a common factor in the landscape in Dublin since the foundation of the State in the 1920s.

The act has been amended several times during the course of the last forty or so years, the most

recent amendment being passed in 2010.

In terms of urban exploration, the research taken in Dublin is mainly based on derelict suburban

estates, not to be confused with the ghost estates that dominate the Irish countryside at present.

However, some have managed to infiltrate certain areas of interest in the Greater Dublin areawhether they be of industrial or historical significance. A location that would particularly fit the

profile of the latter would be Boland's Mill, made famous by Eamonn de Valera's occupation there

during the 1916 Rising. It is ironic how the site became unused as its location at Grand Central

Dock proved to be a focal point in the massive urban regeneration plan that took place in the area

during the “boom” years of the early to mid-2000s with widespread development in both residential

and commercial outlets occuring on a momentous scale. During this time, business at the plant

came to a halt and the company closed but the buildings were worth protecting from demolition.

Despite this, plans to develop around the area were rejected on the basis of the proposal seeking a

height that exceeded guidelines set out for the area.

2

2 Kearns – p.277



The panoramic picture seen on the previous page shows graffitied outer panels of the roof of

Boland's Mill and the contrasting and developed Dock Area below. Photographed by Tarquin Blake,

Abandoned Ireland.

Photographs of 45 Merrion Street before restoration took place in 2003 and present day. Courtesy of the Irish

Architectural Archive and the author.

Both sides of Dublin still have the hallmarks of its Georgian past, with some being used for office

or commercial use, while others have been converted into luxury housing. 45 Merrion Square East

is a strong display of conversion from tenements to office use, with the building currently being

used by the Irish Architectural Archive (IAA). The pictures seen shown above present a glaring

difference in the changes made by combining the two buildings that housing various branches of

government departments until the IAA took charge of the building in 1996. The building went

through a thorough refurbishment period from 2003 and completed a year later and open to the

public in 2005.The work done on the property was mainly to correct the derelict look of the front

and back panels and to unify what was 44 and 45 Merrion Square East at that point. Not only was

the building being restored, new parts of the Archive were to be constructed on site. According to

the Parson's report on the refurbishment (2005), that despite the age of the property, “the general

conditions of the building exceeded expectations, being of superior construction with a high

specifcation of materials and workmanship”3, which surprised the team that worked on the project.

Dublin's landscape will change as it recovers from its economic difficulty suffered in 2008. The

number of Georgian buildings to let and for sale around the city has become commonplace among

the many vacant sites in the inner city and the outskirts with Thomas Street on the fringes of the city

coming to mind as there sizeable gaps in the planning of that area at present. Plans to refurbish

many areas or new construction have been put on hold indefinitely due to the economic crisis,

which inevitably lead to more derelict sites.3

3 Parsons – p.20



Part II: Berlin

Many people from different fields of study have agreed that no one city has undergone such change

in its landscape during the 20th century than the German capital Berlin. Divided by both war and

ideological differences, some would find it surprising of what the city has become what it is today.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the city reunified as one. The contrast between West and

East became more apparant when the Wall came down. Much like the economic structure, theWest looked modern and prosperous while the East lacked in colour and adequate investment.

Markin (2010) argues that “Berlin was defined by a mixture between its competing architectural

symbols, its divergent urban designs and its diverse cultural meanings”4. Most buildings in the East,

including the former parliament of the now-defunct GDR, the Palast der Republik, were demolished

as a way of changing the once dreary landscape for a more modern and optimistic approach.

However, what will replace the building is to hoped to be an exact replica of the Stadtschloß, which

dates back beyond the 20th century and pre-dates the time of a single German nation. This decision

had taken almost two decades to happen as protests prevented numerous attempts from people

wishing that the building remain part of the city's architecture failed to come up with a plausible

alternative.

One characteristic that the East had was space. The Soviet-style high-rise apartment blocks were

located in many parts of the city and were built on an industrial scale. Once the centrally planned

way of architecture was abandoned, the city began a process of re-imagining its image. Much like

the Georgian buildings in Dublin, the buildings underwent a renovation to modernise the uses of the

buildings and preserving infrastructure that had historical significance. It is worth noting that Berlin

follows many regulations when discussing its landscape. Among the few that Stimmann (1995)

mentions, are“the reduction of the archtechtural means and the longevity of the materials on both

architectural as well as economic terms, linked with the possibility of that buildings can age

naturally,their patina adding to the overall attraction instead of merely showing signs of wear and

tear.”5 Whether there was little or total dereliction present, it did not deter Berlin from using that

design as a model for building many offices and other mixed use properties around the city.

The place that has become synonomous with dereliction in Berlin is the former US base at

Teufelsberg, situated out on the fringes of the city limits. The base, which consisted of an artificial

mountain, was used to spy on and intercept communications from the East during the Cold War. The

image of the tower at Teufelsberg can be seen on the front right of the cover page of this report.

After closing in 1995, there were a series of proposals given to what the city could do with the site.

These included temporary and permanent residencies, recreational areas and museums among

others. At present, no work has been done and the existing buildings have succumbed to graffiti and

abandonment. The area has been left to many urban explorers and serves as a fervent reminder to

what took place there in previous eras.

4

4 Markin – p.12

5 Stimmann – p.211



The fall of the Berlin Wall also awakened Berlin's new found status as a city of art and culture while

retaining fragments of its chequered past. An example of this would be Kunsthaus Tacheles, which

is located in the central district of Mitte. The art centre was opening following the reunification of

Germany and has been a mixed use building ever since with businesses combining with space for

exhibition of art. Plans for places of this nature were not planned in the original urban landscape

when the city was reunified, although it was deemed to have been a result of it. Williams,et.al

(2010) suggests “differing approaches throughout Europe of what represents a city and its territorial basis presents a challenge to policy makers and planners”6 . For a city like Berlin, this would be

entirely justified. The deserted look of the exterior on the following page matches that of the

interior to emphasise the importance of dereliction in society, given the wide-ranging history of

Germany in the last century.

Photographs of inside Kunsthalle Tacheles and the 'Zapata' bar within Kunsthalle Tacheles, photographers

unknown.

The future of Berlin will no doubt be as diverse architecturally as it is at present. Hempel says in

New Architecture (2000) that “if its not possible to keep the inhabitants in the city and re-establish

residential use in inner city areas again, all other urban planning concepts will become obsolete”. 7

Most of the buildings, such as Kunsthalles Tacheles, serve as what has occured there and remain the

way they have been altered throughout history. As the population of Berlin has gone up and down

consistently since reunification in 1990, the German capital will need to continue to grow and build

but also remodel existing buildings which can still serve so many purposes to attract people to the

city. Berlin's city and federal government departments, including the Senate for UrbanDevelopment, have set out plans for the city for the forseeable future but the true identity of the city

as a whole is still to come to full fruititon.

5

6 Williams,et al – p.9

7 Hempel – New Architecture – p.9



Part III – Detroit:

Detroit has become connected with the concept of urban exploration in recent years and in a way

has become its poster city. Due to massive urban sprawl and the decline of the automotive industry

that was the lifeblood of the many communities that made up the area, it has left the city centre

practically empty and delapadated. The result of this is depopulation, a trend that has been taking

place since deindustrialisation began to take place there in the 1970s. At the time of writing, Detroitstands as the 18th most populated city in the United States8, a fall of about thirteen places from

where it was at the height of its success when it was seen as an industrial dynamo. The Census of

2010 showed that the city, despite a recent increase in population, had its lowest number of

inhabitants for a century. This was counterurbanisation in action as many people chose to leave the

city altogether and not just to the outer suburbs of the greater metropolitan area. However, socio-

economic problems have hit the city even before that. According to Scott (1971), “Detroit was

without adequate subdivision regulation until 1918, a zoning ordinance until 1940 and without a

general plan until 1947”9. If one were to visit the city in some areas today, there would be a vacant

stare into a once vibrant metropolis, now primarily in ruin and has been that way for some decades.

Detroit has been hit twice in its recent economic history, that being the Great Depression in 1929and the pullout and closure of many of its major industries in recent years. Regardless of the many

economic prosperities that the United States has enjoyed and the globalisation of markets, the

buildings still await either demolition, reconstruction or continued. The city has not any major

investment since the automative business went through the process of deindustrialsation.

Michigan Central Station – photographer unknown

The most noticeable example of dereliction is the central train station, which stands out as a behemoth of architecture surrounded by little or no industry. As a result, it has become the symbol

for urban exploration not only for the city of Detroit, but possibly in an international context. The

sheer cost of returning the building to its former glory is the sole reason for its continuing

desolation. Despite the very generous funds available to social housing redevelopment around the

city through its Department of Planning and Development, there is no party willing to invest

properly in the site. A preservation society had been set up after it was announced that the property

would be demolished in 2009. However, no credible work has been done on the site and despite the

building being granted historical place status by the National Park Service, long-term prospects of

the sight are unclear.

6

8 United States Census, 2010

9 Scott – p.497



Similarly, the streets that make up the city's downtown area that stretch for two city blocks, are

described as a barren wasteland by locals. In the documentary Detroit Lives(2010 10, the station

among other faded landmarks are highlighted as places that have been neglected to such a degree

that the structure and its inventory remain but the people do not. Some of the locals who did return

to live in the city after many years were shocked to see what their city had become. The

documentary also follows local musicians and how certain entrepreneurs are finding an opportunity

to create modern businesses from the ruins of the city. Among them, the train station's surroundinggreen area is currently being revitalised in an effort to dismiss the image of neglect that the building

has put on the city and those around it.

Book Cadillac Hotel (now the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel) – images taken in 2006 and 2009, photographers

unknown.

The Book Cadillac Hotel is another famous example of dereliction found in Detroit. The building

was abandoned in the mid-1980s after about sixty years of business in the area, a similar timeframe

to when Michigan Central closed. According to Shine (2009),“it stood downtown – along the still-

abandoned train station – as a symbol of Detroit's downfall”.11 That attitude has now changed for the better now that economic development seems to be coming back to the city. The hotel has

undergone a high-profile renovation which began in 2004 and completed in 2008, an encouraging

sign of the city's attempt to draw ex-residents back to the city or even attract some new people to

the area. The pictures shown above show a 'before and after' image of the hotel. Not only does it

appear that the hotel is vastly improved but the aestethics of the areas connected by it are enhanced

by the reconstruction. It would be a shame to see the hotel go the same way as the Hyatt in nearby

Flint during the 1980s where the hotel failed to bring in tourism to the city and eventually went out

of business along with the majority of others in their tri-county area. What the future holds for

Detroit will without question be a mixture of old and new. Whether that involves redevelopment of

old buildings rather than old ideas is a different matter.

7

10 Detroit Lives (2010,US, Dir: Thalia Mavros)

11 Shine – p.46



Conclusions With Possible Areas For Further Research:

Ireland's economy has recently changed as dramatically as the landscape of its capital Dublin. A

prime example of this is the city's conversion to using mixed use buildings of diverse business

rather than relying on the heavy industries that have been housed in the past there. In an effort to

measure the dereliction of the city, a new policy for Dublin's infrastructure is now in the process of

being implemented. From 2011-2017, the Dublin Development Plan will aim to ensure that thelarger government-led projects including the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) and Transport 21

amongst others will help shape the future of the city.

Through the implementation of the Plan, it aims“to carry out an audit of vacant and derelict sites in

the city, to expedite their redevelopment as part of the reinstatement of the urban form and structure

of the city”12. This will give an impression of what areas are particularly vulnerable to neglect so its

problem can be addressed and subsequently developed, hopefully making the area a rejuventation

zone of the city. The selling of derelict property is becoming ever more present in the Irish capital

today. In Berlin, construction has practically been on a constant basis and according to a statement

made by the city's Senator for Urban Development Ingeborg Junge-Mayer (2008), “surface areas

once inappropriately used or abandoned by the military or industry have been reclaimed by the cityfor a long time13” Each city mentioned has had economic hardships in one form or another which

have hindered their chances of progressing to their potential levels with some lasting much longer

than others. In most cases, the reason for dereliction in these cities can be often caused by uneven

development and ethnic gentrification, of which Detroit is a noted example.

In regards to urban exploration, whoever chooses to investigate and research various types of

infrastructure that have suffered from neglect or idleness, the sites will certainly possess the

characteristics mentioned in the report above.There are many sites, other than the cities mentioned

in this report, that still lay neglected and untouched and for very good reason. Douglas-Jones (2008)

comments on the matter by arguing “if we are to discern the urban explorer’s reasoning, it is

necessary to unravel the object of their obsession, the contemporary ruin”

14

. The only way for thistopic to be researched in further detail is simply to document derelict sites on a year-by-year basis,

enabling a system of documentation for preventing further urban decay occuring in cities across the

world. Many cities have departments for derelict sites and unused lands already, but more needs to

be done in terms of actual research into the reasons why like many urban explorers want to know,

how a particular place came to be in the state that they find it in.

8

12 Dublin City Council – p.38

13 Junge-Mayer – Statement - 2008

14 Douglas-Jones – p.9



Bibliography:

– Douglas-Jones, Ian – Urban Exploration and the Search for the Sublime (Dissertation) – Royal College of

Art – London - 2008 – p.9

– Dublin City Council – Dublin City Development Plan 2011-2017 – Dublin City Council – Dublin –

Volume 1 (Interim Publication) – 2010- p.38

– Hempel, Andreas Gottlieb (contributor) Kieren, Martin (author) – New Architecture Berlin 1990-2000 -

Jovis Verlagsbüro – Berlin – 2000 – p.9

– Junge-Mayer, Ingeborg – Statement of Urban Development Areas – The City- A Challenge For The

Future - Senate Department for Urban Development – Berlin – 2008-http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/bauen/entwicklungsgebiete/en/index.shtml

– Kearns, Kevin C. - Preservation and Transformation of Georgian Dublin – Geographical Review –

American Geographical Society – New York – Vol.72, No.3 – July 1982 – p.277

–

Markin, Pablo – Research Paper on the Topic of the Role of Urban Space in Berlin's Transformation IntoA City of Culture after Reunification – Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Jerusalem – 2010 – p.12

– Mavros, Thalia (director) - Detroit Lives (Documentary) – Palladium Boots – VBS IPTV – New York –

2010

– Parsons, Niall (contributor) – The Irish Architectural Archive: 44 – 45 Merrion Square, Dublin - Obair – Office of Public Works – Dublin - Issue 13 – June 2005 – p.20

– Scott, Mel – American City Planning since 1890: A History Commemorating the Fiftieth Anniversary of

the American Institute of Planners – University of California Press – Berkeley, Los Angeles, London –

1971 – p.497

– Shine, Dan – Block by Block – Preservation Magazine - National Trust for Historic Preservation – Washington D.C. - May/June 2009 – p.46

– Sørensen, Tim Flohr - Special Reviews Section: Urban exploration as archaeological engagement:

a review of http://infiltration. org/ − `the zine about places you're not supposed to go' : `Take only

photos, leave only footprints' (Motto of infiltration.org) – European Journal of Archeology – Vol. 10 –

2007 – p.89

– Stimmann, Hans (ed.) / Berg, Annegret - Downtown Berlin: Building the Metropolitan Mix - Birkhäuser – Berlin / Basel / Boston – 1995 – p.211

–

United States Census – United States Census Bureau - 2010

– Williams, Brendan / Walsh, Cormac / Boyle, Ian - The Development of the Functional Urban Region of

Dublin: Implications for Regional Development Markets and Planning. - Journal of Urban Studies Vol.7-

9 - Urban Environment Project – Dublin - 2010 – p.9

9

http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/bauen/entwicklungsgebiete/en/index.shtml

http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/bauen/entwicklungsgebiete/en/index.shtml



Images:

– 45 Merrion Square East – adapted from:

Before: http://www.iarc.ie/enlargedimages/Before01.jpg

After: Taken by the author, 29th April 2011

– Boland's Mill,Dublin – adapted from Blake, Tarquin @:

http://www.abandonedireland.com/bm_3_files/bm14.jpg

– Book Cadillac Hotel (now the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel) images adapted from:

Before: https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0514/5af9bc348727b/5af9bc3bddfa8.jpg

After: http://detroit1701.org/Graphics/Book-Cadillac%20Hotel.jpg

– Exterior of Kunsthalle Tacheles (back panel of building)– adapted from

http://www.berlin-ontherocks.de/sightseeing/TachelesBack.jpg

– Henrietta Street, Dublin (top left image,front cover of research paper) – adapted fromhttps://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0514/5af9bc348727b/5af9bc3cc3411.jpg

–Interior of Kunsthalle Tacheles – adapted fromhttp://travelblog.viator.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/07/berlin-things-to-do-bar.jpg

– Michigan Central Station (bottom image, front cover of research paper) – adapted from

http://www.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/detroit-michigan-central-station.jpg

(courtesy of Getty Images)

– Michigan Central Station (within research paper) – adapted fromhttp://www.opacity.us/images/db/103/196/0000006966.jpg

– Teufelsberg Listening Station,Berlin (top right image, front cover of research paper) – adapted from

http://narratingwaste.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/nsa-listening-station-berlin.jpg

10

http://www.iarc.ie/enlargedimages/Before01.jpg


http://slog.thestranger.com/files/2006/06/bc-05.jpg

http://detroit1701.org/Graphics/Book-Cadillac%20Hotel.jpg


http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9014/henriettarepoint2.jpg

http://travelblog.viator.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/07/berlin-things-to-do-bar.jpg


http://www.opacity.us/images/db/103/196/0000006966.jpg


http://www.iarc.ie/enlargedimages/Before01.jpg


http://slog.thestranger.com/files/2006/06/bc-05.jpg

http://detroit1701.org/Graphics/Book-Cadillac%20Hotel.jpg


http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/9014/henriettarepoint2.jpg

http://travelblog.viator.com/wpcontent/uploads/2009/07/berlin-things-to-do-bar.jpg


http://www.opacity.us/images/db/103/196/0000006966.jpg


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