Borderlands of housing neighbourhoods as residual or liminal spaces: Comparative study of cases in Budapest

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse and classify urban borderlands. The formation of urban boundaries is influenced by natural, infrastructural, property (social), and urban design principles. Based on the categorisation of urban residual space, the spatial configurations of three regular homogeneous residential areas (historical, socialist-modern, contemporary) in Budapest are presented by combining a quantitative and qualitative approach. The role and presence of their boundaries in the city are explored through map-based and SpaceSyntax analysis. In addition, their qualitative attributes – such as lost space, neglected space, liminal space, and border vacuums – are introduced based on the literature and fieldwork. The objective of this research is to draw attention to under-represented and under-managed urban situations, in order to better understand the impacts of borderlands on the use of space and their role in creating spatial segregation. Moreover, in post-socialist cities like Budapest, the analysis of these spaces is crucial for further complex and successful urban development.

Keywords

• urban borderlands
• post-socialist cities
• open space
• border vacuum
• liminality
• budapest