Urban re-cycling: a
brilliant way to reuse
wasteland
This essay, written by third-year Architecture student Qinyu Wu as part of ARCH221: Urban Studies,
looks at urban regeneration, with particular reference to MediaCity in Salford.
Introduction
Urban re-cycling, as a form of urban development, is the process of
transforming disused urban elements into new serviceable objects
(Schnaiberg, Weinberg and Pellow, 2000). The concept of urban re-
cycling is closely related to wastelands and drosscapes which are the
consequences of rapid horizontal urbanization. Nowadays, huge amount
of wasteland emerging in cities has aroused social concerns about
urban re-cycling. To discuss the trend, strategies and tactics of it, this
essay will start with the background of urban re-cycling and then explain
the rationale behind the regeneration of drosscapes. MediaCity UK in
Manchester will then be analyzed to illustrate how these strategies were
used in a real urban re-cycling project. Finally, conclusions would be
drawn focusing on what can be learnt both theoretically and practically.
Background
In the early civilization, human beings have already begun to use natural
sources found in the land, such as soil and coals, to meet basic living
requirements. With the development of civilization and economy, living
standards became higher and living needs kept rising. Human beings
need more lands to provide essential sources for activities. The ground
was gradually destroyed during the process but the damage was too
little to trace today (Bradshaw 1989, 775). However, in the 18th century,
a big change occurred due to the advent of Industrial Revolution. The
quantities demanded of electricity, water, steam and all other forms of
power were increasing sharply. Little attention was paid to the land being
destroyed in order to make immediate profits (Bradshaw 1989, 775).
There is no doubt that both mining and industrialization have led to lots
of wastelands in cities.
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