The "Underspaces" within the Contemporary City. A morphological investigation of neglected flyovers in London for assessing residual urban areas

Nowadays, we face a common urban phenomenon referring to seemingly unattractive and obsolete areas beneath elevated transport infrastructures, defined as "residual urban spaces" or "flyovers". These places, created by past urban planning processes, are in a state of decay representing a waste of precious land resources in dense cities like London. Flyovers, physically divide communities and require deep comprehension to define proper requalification strategies aiming to reclaim public areas integrating them into the urban network. This study seeks to investigate the morphological and topological features of neglected flyovers, defining a spatial and visual classification system to fill the void in the understanding of residual spaces. By analysing the impact of undesirable urban places on a neighbourhood scale, this research intends to evaluate requalification strategies that could promote new urban system interconnections and community bounding measures. Conventional morphological analysis alongside space syntax methods and data mapping on a GIS platform are used to measure building forms and fabrics, through figure-ground and urban block analysis. This, in conjunction with an examination of spatial network configurations and visual integration factors. Findings suggest that areas adjacent to the Westway flyovers in London generally lack spatial connectivity and accessibility properties. Additionally, patterns in urban morphology and visual attributes reveal disrupted relationships with the surrounding environment. By strengthening spatial and visual connections, multiple social improvements could be fostered. In conclusion, addressing undesirable urban spaces through analytical approaches and strategic reconfiguration design proposals on their morphological character will contribute to create more sustainable, resilient and liveable cities.