Cali and Turin: Revitalization of underutilized plots in two different contexts

The constant changes to which the city is subject make it almost impossible to create an urban model that can respond to everything at once, turning it into an amalgamation of situations and spaces created at different times, with multiple objectives. These continuous transformations, such as the migration of the population towards the periphery, the abandonment of the historic center and the displacement of uses towards the outskirts of the city, lead to the appearance of underused lots in already established areas of the city. These lots become oasis, strength points with high value due to their ability to respond to new spatial, economic and social needs in areas that generally cannot be modified. This thesis takes as its central problem these underused spaces, common in all urban centers, and contextualizes them in two case studies; Cali (Colombia) and Turin (Italy). How can these vacant lots be used to reverse urban decay, to reactivate abandoned spaces, and to revitalize the area where they where left behind? Therefore, two lots are chosen and identified as being of great urban interest, because: both are close to the historic city center, and to important commercial nodes; both are easily accessible due to their proximity to the main transport network; and both are located in front of a landscape and environmental potential such as the Cali River and the Dora River, respectively. Taking into account the particularities of each place, two proposals are designed, born from a series of strategies applied to these two different contexts. The result in Cali is a project for commercial and lodging use that responds directly to the Bulevar del Río project -a recent public space intervention designed to bring back life to the city center and the river-, exploiting the proximity of the financial center and tourist points of the city, opening the possibility of activating the area at night with permanent uses. On the other hand, the project in Turin, being on a larger scale, allows more diversification, with lodging and residential uses, both for students and private individuals, responding to the internationalization of Turin, while creating lacking public space and services generating activities throughout the day, preventing the project from becoming a bedroom suburb. Finally, the proposal implies a possibility of change for the city without demolishing or building on the periphery, accepting that consolidated areas can also evolve, and that through valuing the pre-existing elements and noticing current needs, the empty plots can become the new platforms to reassess and revitalize the city.