Cuttings

Shifting economies have left the world's post-industrial cities with isolated zones of abandonment - iconic yet dormant sites that are both physically and culturally vacant. These sites are typically dislocated, contaminated, and often construed as a danger to be made safe or an economic burden to be made profitable. They exist within the urban fabric, though through disuse or disconnection, they exist distinct from that fabric.They are Urban Islands.The research articles and design projects in this book consider how postindustrial sites may be used as templates for new ways of energising cities with cultural activity. The Urban Islands Project on Cockatoo Island is a pointer to the possibilities.