Toward a Methodology of Spatial Neighborhood Evaluation to Uncover the “Invisible Spaces” in Neighborhoods Built Through State Initiatives Between 1945 and 1980

This article examines the ideological and spatial characteristics of neighborhoods built through the initiative of various states, particularly in Europe, in the post-World War II years, from 1945 to 1980. We argue that despite these neighborhoods being older and subject to economic, professional, and ideological criticism, they feature beneficial physical spaces that came to light, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. These spaces provided opportunities for well-being, relaxation, and community building during times of lockdown and restricted human movement in the built environment. However, residents discovered these spaces, which we term here as “invisible spaces”, through a bottom-up process, and these spaces remain largely unknown to planners or other external stakeholders. In this article, we detail the ideological, economic, and professional approaches that informed the initial planning of these neighborhoods, the contemporary criticisms they face, and the methodology for objectively and comprehensively assessing the quality of their spaces to uncover the “invisible spaces”. We argue that examining urban location, human spatial diversity, intra-neighborhood visibility, and walkability can provide insights into the neighborhood’s qualities and human activity within it, particularly revealing the potential for the emergence of these beneficial “invisible spaces”.