Methodological Proposal for the Establishment of the Best Use in Obsolete Buildings of Consolidated Urban Fabrics

Abstract

This article develops a methodology in the field of urban rehabilitation and improvement operations in consolidated urban fabrics. It aims to streamline the process of awarding an appropriate use to an existing area or building. It is intended to serve as a basis for buildings that are currently in disuse or obsolete. Due to their importance as generators of new activity, they deserve a detailed study of the role they could play in the context in which they find themselves. Thus, from a series of (finite) alternatives extracted from the analysis of the existing facilities in the study area, and a set of criteria constructed through the analysis of indicators (economic, social, and environmental), census sections needs are prioritized by comparison with the rest of the municipality. For this, a general model is proposed that combines a method of Principal Components Analysis (PCA), for the extraction of indicators that characterize the area, with a discrete multi-criteria method known as Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which manages to balance their weights and the alternatives ones. The methodology is exemplified by a case study of a disused building in Sabadell. From the combination of the two methods, and the correction of the weights obtained, depending on the characteristics of the area, it is possible to establish a map of needs for each proposed use (alternatives) and to obtain the best alternative for the studied area.