Learn more about my PhD project and engage with the story of decay in Paisley and Renfrewshire!
Welcome
My story
My name is Marlene Zijlstra
I'm a PhD student at the University of the West of Scotland in Paisley, but my journey started in the vibrant streets of Amsterdam. Growing up there, I witnessed my city transform - places I once felt deeply connected to as a child became unfamiliar, even unwelcoming. This sparked my curiosity: how do spaces shape our experiences, emotions, and memories? What makes a place feel like it belongs to us - or that we belong to it?
In 2021, I set out on my PhD journey, originally aiming to explore how we can cultivate a sustainable creative ecology in postindustrial cities. But research has a way of evolving, and so did my focus. Over time, I became captivated by the hidden potential of decaying spaces - abandoned buildings, forgotten structures and neglected corners of the city. These spaces, once symbols of decline, hold an incredible opportunity to be reclaimed, reimagined and revitalised through participatory arts, community engagement and creative interventions.
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This website is a window into my research journey - a space to showcase ideas, discoveries, and inspiration to look at forgotten spaces around you in a new way. Whether you're an artist, researcher, or just someone who loves cities, I hope this platform encourages you to see the unseen and perhaps even take part in reshaping the urban landscape.
Let's discover these spaces - together.
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About the Website
Why Paisley? Why now?
What You'll Find Here
This website is a space to explore and reflect on my PhD research, In Search of a Hidden Regenesis: Exploring Community Agency through Urban Regeneration in Paisley. This project investigates how people experience, understand and respond to urban decay - and how creative, participatory practice can help reimagine what is often overlooked.
At its core, the research asks: How do we relate to the decaying spaces around us? And perhaps more importantly: What possibilities for belonging and agency emerge when we engage with these forgotten places?
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Paisley, like many post-industrial towns, holds layers of untold stories in its disused buildings and hidden sites. These places speak of histories, transitions and potential. My journey into this work began with a project called Hidden Spaces Paisley - a workshop hosted in partnership with a local community organisation. From this seed, the research grew organically, shaped by dialogue, discovery and collective reflection.
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Through this process, I have been able to:
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Map my personal encounters with urban decay in Paisley, while listening to the stories of artists, activists and everyday residents who are deeply connected to these places.
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Build a growing archive of photographs and videos of decaying site - contributed by workshop participants and gathered during my cycling explorations around town.
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Design a walking route that weaves together some of these spaces, offering a new way to see and experience Paisley's landscape through the lens of transformation and care.
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The website is more than just a documentation of academic work. Its a living, breathing map of engagement, and exists to:
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Share the creative and collaborative methods that shaped this research
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Make the hidden visible, highlighting the wealth of unused and decaying spaces across Paisley
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Encourage new ways of thinking about regeneration, not as large-scale development, but as community-driven regenesis.
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Whether you are here as a local resident, academic or someone curious about urban change, I invite you to explore these pages with an open mind and a hopeful eye. Who knows... You might even feel inspired to reclaim, reimagine or help bring one of Paisley's hidden spaces back to life!