Military empty(ing) spaces, what are we living for? Spatial planning as a trigger of an ‘organised ruination’

Abstract

This work illustrates the generation of ruins from the disposal and abandonment of military installations in Italian and Spanish cities through the lens of spatial planning. The fundamental premise is that military ruins are not merely the tangible remnants of outmoded paradigms of warfare and a multitude of socioeconomic, political, and environmental shifts that have occurred since the end of Cold War. Instead, this work demonstrates that the ruination of military sites, spanning from barracks to warehouses located in urban sectors, relies upon a profit-oriented urban development under capitalist urbanization. The research hypothesis is that the search for profitability in urban environments is related to the ‘politics of abandonment’ of city fragments and the ways it generates ruination. Examples of such dynamics are the Italian and Spanish state policies for the disposal of military land and its repurposing through more profitable uses for the capitalist system that forced the ruination of the defence installations. The creative writing approach relies on the role played by “urban narratives” contained in local spatial plans in triggering the ruination. These appear to be the tools providing ideological justifications for the ruination of military sites. Furthermore, these narratives persuade the stakeholders to retain military land in a state of despair until the time is right to sell and redevelop. This approach is instrumental in establishing the fundamental conditions that substantiate the demolition of military ruins, thereby engendering a novel spatial order that aligns more closely with capitalist interests. This work elucidates the creation of military ruins by comparing and interpreting a number of military sites in current state of ruination in Italy (Milan and Rome) and Spain (Madrid and Valladolid) according to the role played by local spatial plans in triggering the ‘organised ruination,’ a concept inspired by David Harvey’s concept of ‘organised abandonment’.