As planners and designers have turned their attentions to the blighted, vacant areas of the city, the concept of "terrain vague," has become increasingly important. Terrain Vague seeks to explore the ambiguous spaces of the city -- the places that exist outside the cultural, social, and economic circuits of urban life. From vacant lots and railroad tracks, to more diverse interstitial spaces, this collection of original essays and cases presents innovative ways of looking at marginal urban space, with studies from the United States, Europe and the Middle East, from a diverse group of planners, geographers, and urban designers. Terrain Vague is a cooperative effort to redefine these marginal spaces as a central concept for urban planning and design. Presenting innovative ways of looking at marginal urban space, and focusing on its positive uses and aspects, the book will be of interest to all those wishing to understand our increasingly complex everyday surroundings, from planners, cultural theorists, and academics, to designers and architects.

本作は、都市の機能性という呪縛から解き放たれた空白地帯に光を当てる、極めて詩的で野心的な論考集です。廃線跡や空き地といった、経済活動の循環から零れ落ちた曖昧な空間に潜む自由と記憶の可能性を、多彩な執筆陣が鮮烈に描き出しています。 単なる都市計画の枠を超え、都市の裂け目に宿る沈黙の美学を解読するその筆致は、私たちの日常的な風景を全く別の物語へと変貌させます。効率と管理が優先される現代において、あえて定義を拒む場所の価値を再発見する行為は、魂を震わせる知的な冒険そのものと言えるでしょう。