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Achieving Spatial Justice through Decaying Spaces in Paisley

Writer's picture: Marlene ZijlstraMarlene Zijlstra

You might have noticed it walking through towns or cities: spaces that are left unused, maybe with smashed windows or greenery sprouting out of the walls.


Perhaps you have walked past buildings with ‘for sale’ signs on it for the past decade, or have seen open patches of land that is filled with discarded soda cans and plastic wrappers. While maybe in its current state these spaces are not inviting to visit, the potential of these decaying spaces in cities is endless. It’s a matter of waiting around for the right eye and conjoined effort put in to be able to turn them into a community asset.


Especially in post-industrial cities in Scotland, decaying spaces have become a palpable reality. Not only did Scotland house 11.000ha of vacant and derelict urban land in 2021, but most of persisting decaying spaces are also known to be found in neighbourhoods that are already experiencing socio-spatial difficulties, thereby exacerbating existing inequalities in the city (Yates 2021). In regard to the balance between decay and spatial assets, Paisley presents itself as a very exceptional case.  In Paisley the Untold Story, Renfrewshire Council gives an indication of unused spaces that makes up the town. The document identifies 37 under-utilised historic buildings that fall within the Renfrewshire Council area, and that are classified as ‘assets’ of the built environment. This is an impressive architectural base,  as it comes second to holding the largest concentration of buildings per capita in Scotland, outside of Edinburgh (Paisley Vision Report 2019, 52).

“Fortunately for Paisley and unlike many other towns within Scotland of this size, the quality of the built heritage, and in particular, that of buildings which date roughly between 1750 and 1930, is exceptional…”(Paisley the Untold Story 2014, 13).

Figure 1. Map of Listed Buildings in Paisley, categorised in categories A, B and C (source: Renfrewshire Council Interactive Map 2024).
Figure 1. Map of Listed Buildings in Paisley, categorised in categories A, B and C (source: Renfrewshire Council Interactive Map 2024).

Many of the buildings that make up the architectural asset base of Paisley can be traced back to the flourishing industrial period in the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. When in the second half of the 20th century the increase in global competition shifted production overseas, this translated itself to an increase in decaying spaces across the town. More recently, COVID-19 and the cost-of-living crisis are important trends that explain the persistence of unused spaces (Parker 2022). In practice, it has proven to be difficult to reuse decaying spaces in Paisley, as most spaces that are laying empty in Paisley are owned by private landowners. Anyone that is interested in reusing these spaces is thus subjected to the private owner to determine what their space is worth. As owners wait for neighbouring property prices to go up before they consider selling their own space, many sites persistently lay empty – despite communities being eager to reuse them. In addition, due to criteria set by the council, data on the history and owners of sites are only being gathered at sites have a size of over 0.1 hectare. As a result, smaller decaying sites scattered across the town stay hidden from view, with elusive understandings of owner, history and status.


This elusiveness is something that I have explored further in my PhD research at UWS. By creating a participatory project called Hidden Spaces Paisley, I have been able to more closely examine spaces and speak to the community about the barriers and opportunities of decay in their town. I have done so through semi-structured interviews, a photovoice workshop and autoethnographic accounts – which helped me to also construct two online resources to make decay in Paisley more visible. I’m in the writing up stage of my research, and looking forward for people to read about the brilliant decaying spaces that make up Paisley!



Figure 2. Photos of Decaying Spaces on Well Street, Wallneuk Road, Oakshaw Brae and Greenhill Road in Paisley (source: Marlene Zijlstra 2023).
Figure 2. Photos of Decaying Spaces on Well Street, Wallneuk Road, Oakshaw Brae and Greenhill Road in Paisley (source: Marlene Zijlstra 2023).

To learn more about the research, go to www.hiddenspacespaisley.com or follow @hiddenspacespaisley on Instagram!



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