Time and regeneration: temporary reuse in lost spaces

The problem of under managed spaces in the contemporary city is increasingly discussed, investigated, and analyzed, yet the term lacks conceptual clarity and definition. Furthermore, the functional aspects, the morphology and the opportunities of these spaces have not been clearly articulated. This research provides a new theoretical approach and introduces a new definition for this kind of spaces: the area intervallo (gap areas). In dealing with such areas, it aims to suggest a different interpretative category: if lost spaces are voids within the urban fabric empty of meaning, lacking clear functions, where time seems to have stood still, they are spaces which lie in wait for something. So, they can be considered as opportunities waiting to happen, opportunities that urban planning has to recognize and develop in an urban regeneration point of view.